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The Raven Collection Novel Chapters
List of most recent chapters published for the The Raven Collection novel. A total of 373 chapters have been translated and the release date of the last chapter is Apr 02, 2024
Latest Release: Chapter 1 : James Barclay.The Raven Collection.'Barclay writes with power, pace and a wonderful
James Barclay.The Raven Collection.'Barclay writes with power, pace and a wonderful sense of humour. Better than that, he creates novels you want to read again and again' David Gemmell.'A greathearted book written on a grand scale. An enthr
- 301 Dagger in hand, the barbarian barrelled straight into the clutch of reavers, taking three of them to the ground with him. He landed on top of them, hearing Darrick join the attack and Thraun shout a warning.The reavers were strong. Hirad took a punch acro
- 302 'And another thing,' said Dystran. 'Will somebody please tell me what in all the h.e.l.ls has happened to our other new friends the Wesmen?'Auum knew every approach to the college of Xetesk but he felt lost for the first time in his li
- 303 'I've lost almost everyone. There's only ten left. Pathetic isn't it, but Geren and I are the only human Julatsan mages left. Everyone else is dead or a non-mage.''There'll be others, Pheone,' said Hirad. 'Hidd
- 304 'G.o.ds falling,' said Hirad. 'They're going to bring this place down on top of us.''The ForceCones will keep the roof up,' said Dila'heth.'Not for long,' said Pheone. 'That's a lot of weight and
- 311 Chapter 43.'I have your signature, my Dragonene. We are coming.'Sha-Kaan broke the contact with Hirad Coldheart and wheeled in the air. In the day since their last contact, he had probed the human's mind and found it stressed and active, de
- 312 'Maces everyone, we aren't going to have spell back-up on the run. Mages, do whatever you can, just don't risk yourselves.'The Unknown's words were bawled into the tumult from outside the ForceCone Eilaan still held. The Raven wer
- 313 He turned, his heart pumping painfully in his chest. His breath came in huge gasps and he felt like dropping to his knees. But instead, he dragged himself around to face the hordes coming after them. Desultory fire played outside the edifice, lighting the
- 314 His axe swung, taking the head from an enemy. He used the purity of the cut to set up an unstoppable rhythm of pace and strike. Spells erupted outside of the college, mages taking advantage of the moment.The Wesmen roared, sensing the change. They advance
- 305 But that noise of thunder was getting louder. Something was happening. If it was cursyrd, they would be washed away. If it was help, they had to hold out. Whichever it turned out to be, there was nothing to be gained by pulling himself out.'I'll
- 306 The Unknown tensed but didn't speak.'We have fought our way in here to do what has to be done to save our country from the problems you have caused it. And not just our country but probably countless other dimensions in addition to those we know
- 307 Chapter 40.The Raven followed the Al-Arynaar out of the dome complex while the Xeteskians were still organising themselves. The elven warriors and mages split, heading for the ColdRoom casters. The Unknown brought The Raven to a halt on the steps to take
- 308 Chapter 41.The attack halted so abruptly that it was far too long before anyone spoke. The pressure was so intense in defence that it was hard to break out of the mind-set.'Stand down, stand down,' said Heryst.He lowered his own dripping sword a
- 309 'We all here?' His voice sounded m.u.f.fled but at least he could speak.He heard murmurs and presumed they were a.s.sent. He tightened his grip on The Unknown and felt the rea.s.suring tug on his belt that meant Erienne was behind him still. It
- 310 'Hirad, you are no comfort whatsoever.'Auum and his Tai led the way, clearly ill at ease. The stagnant water continued for over a quarter of a mile before they began to travel up slope. The drier ground beneath their feet was a welcome change an
- 315 'We'll take you.'But he looked around and it was clear that he could not hope to fulfil that promise. Denser was trying his best to keep the demons away left and right but he could do nothing about the ma.s.s that packed in behind, out of t
- 316 'Sol, no one is asking you to. Suarav and that Wesman with the long and involved name are doing what's necessary. We've not had a raid in Xetesk for, what . . . a season and a half? Like I said, hear me out.'Sol shrugged. 'All rig
- 317 The High Priest of Shorth raised his face to the TaiGethen leader. The rims of his eyes were bright red, bloodshot in the whites. His pupils were tiny despite the gloom.'What I have seen,' he whispered. 'She is dead but she is returning. Th
- 318 The place where The Raven would live forever.But now, walking towards the heavy, bound oak door that let out on to the street, he wondered if this shrine to his past really was poisoning his mind. Diera thought so. Sol walked slowly past the portraits of
- 319 'They're just the sad cases.' Sol rubbed his nose. 'It's the ones that trade on my memories for profit. They make me angry.'The merchant reached out and patted Sol's hand.'Well you hide it very well.'Sol burst
- 320 Chapter 4.The heat intensified still further. Steam billowed under the canopy. The orange glow of fire stretched in a broad arc east to west. Thick dust blew on a scorching wind. The flat clang of the Garonin harvesters thudded across the sky and under th
- 321 Gresse wrinkled his nose yet again.'Stinks like old magic,' he said.His voice, gruff for as long as Blackthorne could remember, was further deepened to a painful phlegmy rattle .'You should have someone check out that throat of yours.'
- 322 'So,' he said to Sol eventually, 'you got a promotion too, did you?''It's not how it sounds,' said Sol. 'I'm just an occasional spokesperson for the ordinary Balaian. People come to me with problems; I try and
- 323 'Catch those, you b.a.s.t.a.r.ds,' he said.Blackthorne saw the trio tracking the skull-sized orbs of mana fire. They made no attempt to run and he got the impression they were merely curious about what was coming at them. They didn't break
- 324 'Stand, Auum; you and your TaiGethen have no need to kneel before anyone, least of all the mere mouthpiece of a G.o.d.'Auum stood and the two embraced. From the crowd he could hear cheering, and the chanting in the name of Yniss grew louder. Lys
- 325 Lysael raised her hands to quell the growing hubbub.'Please, my friends, please. It is impossible to comprehend, I know, but we must or we will perish. There is little time but there will be questions. If you wish to speak, come forward to the stage.
- 326 'I am sorry for your loss and I will not claim to understand it,' he said, his voice gentle. The crowd fell quickly silent. 'How can a mother react when the son she knows is dead is seen to walk but it not be him? Your desire to want his bo
- 327 He turned back to the crowd and walked all the way to the barrier.'And now I take my Tai and we will face the Garonin once more. That is how I serve my race, giving you more time to face your fate like elves, not frightened humans.'I am prepared
- 328 Ilkar pushed himself to his feet and walked back to the balcony window. The library caught his eye again and he felt a coldness enter his soul.'You cannot have regained the power you had before the demons came,' he said. 'How much of the ar
- 329 Dystran raised his eyebrows. 'Only a fool would truly believe that. And only a fool would see what is happening here and now as a serious threat.''Then I am a fool,' said Denser. 'I have dead souls reanimating fresh corpses all ov
- 330 'I don't see this lot as being too much of a problem,' said Denser.'No indeed,' said Sol. 'Hard to remember a time when I could count an enemy invasion force on the fingers of one hand. A well-placed Jalyr's Sun should d
- 331 The enemy had reached the city boundaries and not even paused for breath. Terrified people ran before them. The few who stood up to them had been trampled underfoot, rendered to dust. A swathe of destruction two hundred yards wide and expanding angled dir
- 332 'Keep it steady, Raven!' called Hirad.Sol could see the eye slit of his target's helmet. The armour was beguiling. Cool light swam through the runes and symbols. But inside the helmet the eyes were shadowed and dark. The enemy brought his w
- 333 The old Lord of the Mount chose not to stand, and instead remained seated on one of the leather-upholstered chairs in Denser's dining chamber.'I see you've already helped yourself to most of my lunch. Don't they feed you down in the ca
- 334 The merest hints of light appeared in the eyes of the Garonin. A transitory tightening of their faces.'People come to you. Trust you,' said one. 'Your living . . . and your dead.''How do you know that?''We see all that p
- 335 Sha-Kaan opened his mouth and felt the flame ducts swell. He swept through the line of Garonin soldiers. His jaws beheaded one, his claws dropped and tore up four more, breaking them and casting them aside. Around him his Kaan exulted. Sha-Kaan tasted blo
- 336 'Who I visit and what I ask and listen to is my business and not yours, all right? And yes, I do listen to him because he is smart despite his unfortunate views in some areas. And one thing we do agree on is that we don't know what more good you
- 337 'Because it's me!' Hirad spread his arms and smiled.'It certainly was b.l.o.o.d.y you. Mayhem from beyond the grave. Who else could it be?'Sol slumped into an armchair. His body felt strange, like he was in the grip of a fever. He
- 338 'I see what you mean,' said Ilkar. 'What do you intend to do? What's down here?''Allies. Many of the dead too.' Auum began walking again, sheathing his blades as he went. 'We need to get them away from here. Out of
- 339 'Don't push your luck, my King,' slurred the man.Sol turned his head to stare at Denser. The Lord of the Mount was soaked through.'And you.' Sol spat on the ground. 'You have betrayed me, Xetesk, Balaia and most of all The Ra
- 340 'I beg your pardon?' asked Septern.'Nothing. Let's look at your plan.'The three men leaned over the map and its overlay. The city was picked out building by building, street by street. On top Septern had indicated the position of
- 341 'Jonas . . .'A thin white line had appeared in the air above Jonas's chair. It described a horizontal about eight feet long before beginning to draw down both sides to form an opening into Sha-Kaan's Klene, his corridor and resting pla
- 342 'Yes, my friend.''I will find your wife and son. I will see them to safety. Don't go back to the inn. Come east. Seek me.'Sol nodded, wincing as Ilkar probed his injury a little roughly.'I am in your debt.'Auum bowed. &#
- 343 The Klene was being buffeted again by the void of inter-dimensional s.p.a.ce. The dead had been left outside the walls of the city, no more than a mile distant, and asked to trust that The Raven could deliver their loved ones to them soon. The Raven, retu
- 344 'I'm too old for all this racing about,' he said.'Well you should die and pick yourself a younger body,' said Hirad. 'It does wonders, you know. Anyway. Where are we, exactly?''South-east corner of the city. Not too
- 345 'Two problems.'Chapter 24.The awful truth about the fate of Julatsa had dampened hope three days before. The fleet had been sailing out of sight of the north Balaian coast and there had been no encounters nor indeed any sightings whatever of the
- 346 'When all the mages return to the college, as I said. But not necessarily at that instant. Don't get your hopes up, though. Any of us over an hour late will be a.s.sumed lost, probably to you as it happens, and therefore the grid will not be del
- 347 Diera crouched by her son. 'Hang on to Auum, darling. I'll be right behind you.''No, Mama. I want to stay with you.'Diera kissed Hirad's cheek and wiped away a tear. 'It'll be all right. Fun. Auum is going to teach
- 348 Auum led his Tai back across the rooftops, across a fifteen-foot gap to the next line of houses, along five pitched roofs and into the lee of a huge chimney stack at the east end of the square. Here the smoke from the cook fires of every dwelling in the t
- 349 'I'm not sure why I bothered,' said Ilkar. 'I completely forgot that all you have to do is open your big fat mouth and the FlameOrbs will get sucked right in. Idiot. And yes, I'm ready.'Ilkar nailed his concentration back dow
- 350 'G.o.ds drowning, yes, take him inside the walls. All right, Hirad? You go with Brynar to the college and he'll keep you safe.''Yes, Mama.''I'll be there very soon.''Go, Brynar,' said Sol. 'And thank
- 351 'Not helpless,' gasped Septern. 'Hero.'Into Densyr's eyes sprang unforeseen tears. He closed them and entered Septern's failing construct.Sol, with Hirad slipping ever nearer towards death in his arms, ran headlong at the nex
- 352 Fires still raged in hundreds of places. The yellow flame of burning wood mixed with the harsh dark blue flame of mana gorging itself on any material with which it came into contact. Those flailing strands of the grid, easily identifiable now, spewing out
- 353 'I have no idea.''Smas.h.i.+ng,' said Densyr. 'Septern. How long can you survive like this?''Approaching . . . near. Survival no. Change. Have seee nn . . . Nottt harm we.''Septern, you are making no sense. Can
- 354 On his way past, Suarav grabbed Brynar by the shoulder.'I won't forget this, you little b.a.s.t.a.r.d. You had better prove yourself one f.u.c.king big hero today, do you understand me?''I will die protecting those who protect the people of Balaia,'
- 355 Blue flame encased the tower. Denser and Dystran screamed and clutched at their heads. Defence spells failed. Enemies dropped into their midst, followed by the feet and blades of the TaiGethen. A wind howled through the tower, threatening to pluck them al
- 356 They looked up.Five machines descended through the cloud to ring the college. The flat blare of their horns s.h.i.+vered broken gla.s.s to splinters. Densyr's mouth hung open but his lower jaw moved a little as he tried to form the word 'no'. Sol almos
- 357 A heavy sound struck through the catacombs. Like a giant fist had been slammed against the upper level. Dust was dislodged.'That doesn't sound so good,' said Ilkar.'We're as safe as we can be,' said Sharyr, spreading out texts on a bench and beginni
- 358 'Shh, Hirad,' whispered Jonas. 'Just watch.'Ilkar thought he saw the tiniest of smiles flicker across Densyr's expression. The mist expanded, like corn seeds scattered over water separating and spreading. It was set about five feet above Densyr's fa
- 359 Sol took her by the hand and they walked slowly towards the goblet that sat on the floor beneath the grey, static mist. They stood staring down at it.'That dust will seriously impair the flavour,' said Sol.Diera punched his shoulder. 'Don't.'Sol drew
- 360 And the next moment they were gone. All of them. The machines blinked out of existence, the detonation clouds dispersed and the foot soldiers simply ceased to be. Suarav turned a quick circle, looking for the counterpunch but there was no one to deliver i
- 361 'I'll explain later, if there's time,' said Suarav. 'For now I need to give you a situation report.''Do I want to hear it?'Suarav shook his head. 'You can learn most of it just by looking around you.'There were not enough survivors to clear away
- 362 'Dear G.o.ds burning.'Lines of harsh white light appeared on the wall of the corridor. They spread quickly, looking like a lattice of ice across a window. The wall hardened around them. Flame beat down in the same place. Garonin soldiers cried out. The
- 363 And he was gone.Sol bowed his head. He hadn't thought to feel grief. Perhaps there was something in what Ilkar said about the path between life and death. If that was the case, he just wanted it to be done. He gazed back the way they had come and immedia
- 364 'No? When you have the lives of so many in the palm of your hand. Lives we can snuff out on a whim.''I'm aware of my task.''But not perhaps of the risks you take. Watch and . . . believe.'The Garonin all lowered their he
- 365 Their agitation had long since peaked and it seemed their energy had slipped away with the approach of what they a.s.sumed was oblivion. Even the sight of the quartet of Raven shadows departing had failed to lift their hopes.'Humans despair before al
- 366 Chapter 42.Two figures lay on the ivory ground not five feet from where Ilkar was standing in The Raven's huddle. Their screams called out to his soul, burying themselves in the centre of his pain. He could feel theirs so cleanly it brought him, all
- 367 Blade in each hand, Rebraal moved into the s.p.a.ce.'Disengage!' Dila'heth's voice carried into the heart of the fight. 'Al-Arynaar. Scatter free!'The speed of their withdrawal was as exhilarating for Rebraal as it was confus
- 368 'Chandyr, we've got to-'A shattered timber slammed end first into Chandyr's head. His skull was crushed. His body jerked and was flung to the side. Suarav threw up his arms. Gore and splinters sprayed across his face. He breathed in ga
- 369 Densyr took them at a dead run on a circuitous route back towards the catacomb entrance. All around them the sounds of fighting echoed through the corridors, replacing the earlier bombardment. It was hard to hear. His guards and mages defended the Heart w
- 370 'It's the same for your mana,' said Hirad. 'Believe you can cast. Expect to cast.'Ilkar shook his head. His mind remained a blank for constructing spells but there was something he could do. He hurried over to Erienne, dropped to
- 371 Duck low, jab up. Strike left, sword. Axe defence chest, Orn. Spin blade. Upper cut sword. Brother down. Body away. Fill. Drive axe forward, Pel. Pace up. Lower left flank block.The Garonin were wavering in front of them. There were no gaps in the Protect
- 372 Around them, the TaiGethen were a blur of ruthless murder. Every time a Garonin soldier got inside the s.h.i.+eld, a TaiGethen was on him before he had gone five paces. Yet Ilkar could not relax. Surely the enemy were being snuffed out and indeed it did s
- 373 Speaking of which, come on, Raven, TaiGethen. Sol clapped his hands together. Time to sleep. Hanging around out here will only garner us unwanted attention. Hirad stood. Fitting, dont you think? The Raven? Guardians of the new world? Yes, said Ilkar. They