Acknowledgements

A story of this scope and scale feels so immense, especially considering where it started. Inga’s story wasn’t even hers to begin with, and belonged to a completely different character—it’s my intent to introduce that character in a future volume, if I get the chance. The very beginning of this story has its first seeds being sown more than three decades ago. The story you’ve just read and its adjacent parts are more than a decade old by now.

The inspiration for Agareth and the Spellswords undoubtedly belong to both the honorable Michael Moorcock and his Eternal Champions series, as well as the late Fred Saberhagen and his Complete Book of Swords saga. I’ve done my best to simply be inspired and not to plagiarize outright; I’ll let history be the judge of that, assuming it even gives a damn.

My thanks to everyone who offered feedback to make this book as good as it can be. I’d also like to thank Sara, Beth and Mike in particular for all your advice and general putting-up-with-me-ness. I appreciate all of you every single day, and every time you share a piece of yourselves and your wisdom with me.

Lastly, thanks to you, Dear Reader. If you enjoyed this story, I’ll ask the same thing I always ask: if you’ll spare two minutes of your time and review this book on the storefront of your choice, I would be eternally grateful. Good or bad, every review helps me do what I do.

Onto the next one. Be seeing you.

— B.