NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
Normally I write this section after some separation from the novel, most often the day before they are published. Not this time. I’m writing this immediately after finishing the last chapter and the epilogue, so I can try to keep whatever emotions I’m feeling about it fresh. It only seems appropriate enough for Darius.
Speaking of…for three novels, whenever I expected him to die, he lived. Now, when I fully expected him to live (and anyone who’s read the endnote in Blood of the Underworld knows this), he goes and does…that. Is it an ending befitting him? I don’t know. But it’s his ending. I’ve killed plenty of characters before, even some very beloved ones, but I’m not sure I’ve ever given them such a death, if I’ve ever stripped them so bare in their final moments. There’s a lot of me in Darius, and a lot in Jerico as well. When it comes to their doubts, their questions, their desperate hopes, they so often mirror mine. If I’m given such a moment, I also hope I have the same courage. I also hope I have a few people waiting for me with open arms.
This is pretty much the end of the Paladin series. If you’re curious about Jerico, he’s re-introduced in the third book of the Half-Orcs, Death of Promises, while he’s still in exile in the Wedge. Luther will be causing trouble in Blood of the Father, the next up on my agenda. I have a feeling Valessa might be there as well. As for the events Jerico’s hinting at, I do think at some point I will write that novel. The Fall of the Citadel was the first full novel I ever wrote and completed, and it’s still in a shoebox in my closet. Should I rewrite it, it’ll be a standalone, or perhaps just Paladins #0. Either way, it’ll be a while. I’ve got some half-orc brothers to get to before that.
I hope you all have enjoyed this series. I’ve poured my heart into it, be it dark or light, and more than anything I’m proud of this particular book. It might not sell as well as the assassins, but that’s okay. A smaller audience means more intimate stories, right? I wanted an uplifting ending to this series, a nice triumphant moment for these paladins. I don’t know if I gave it to them. Right now, I have no clue. I can’t tell if they’re exultant, happy, depressing, lost, hopeless, what. But it’s the right ending, damn it. It’s an honest one.
If you’d like to send me an email, fire one off to ddalglish@yahoo.com. I promise to get to it eventually, though I’m falling behind, so consider this a plea for patience. You can also check out my website at ddalglish.com, and if you want to keep up on whatever bizarre project I’m planning next, you can find nearly every update at www.facebook.com/DavidDalglish.
Again, thank you for making it this far. Thank you for your time, your patience when I screw up, and your sharing with others when I do something awesome. God Bless.
David Dalglish
July 5th, 2012