Novels by Toni Russ

Present timeBefore they headed back for their base, Nio healed the wounded. There were a lot of them. He ordered them to be left on the battlefield and healed them all in one fell swoop. Friends and foes alike. He didn’t have much experience with healing and life magic, but he instinctively knew what to do. His exercise in the hidden valley taught him so much about synergy that he felt that the smaller elements were just toys for children. He reached out and established a balance in each of them. It was that simple. Lately, it seemed to him that he was looking more and more with his mind, not his eyes. Everything around him was just energy. Like when you try to make out the trees in the distance from the bottom of a waterfall. Due to the sheer amount of water you can’t actually see the trees, just the shapes. Still, you know they're there. And you know what they look like. The sh

Velas north hubQueen Nioob paced up and down the room. The first meeting with lady Sif was successful. Not only did she agree to provide safe passage through her lands, but she offered her elves to move food to Mui land. Furthermore, she offered elven supplies and help if needed. Nioob had a strange feeling that if she asked for Sif's dress, she would take it off in front of her and give it to her. She didn't like it. Elves usually did not care about other races. Sif wanted something, something big. No, Nioob didn't like it at all. For a moment she wished Lara was here. Lara always had a flawless nose for lies and deceptions. Nioob was supposed to leave the day after the meeting, but Thea Sif requested another audience. Nioob was sure that Sif would then show her true face. Apprehensive, she waited.The two women met again. After the initial pleasures, lady Sif became direct.Her ton

Present timeNio met with the war chief of the Mui tribe. There were eleven large lakes and four larger rivers in his lands. His people had by then already received the food from the dwarves and famine had diminished, but those supplies would not last forever. The war chief banned fishing throughout Mui because Nio needed to inspect several live specimens. They reached the first lake surrounded by hundreds of goblins waiting for a miracle. Nio felt a rush of anxiety. He had been very confident in himself until now, but now, as all those goblins watched, his confidence turned to fear. Still, from the outside he remained calm and cool.He approached the shore of the lake and one of the goblins pulled out a fishing net. Within the net were three species of fish and a pair of crabs. He asked the goblin to submerge the net back in the water and ordered everyone around him to move away. Very far a

High shamanAfter sending shamans to kill Shieena and the other Tei woman, the high shaman retreated to one of the northern temples, out of reach of the southern war chiefs. He now sat in the main room of the temple and listened to the reports. Not only did the shamans fail to kill the women but they botched the auxiliary plan also. Shieena was almost in his grasp but still managed to escape. To make matters worse, one of his would-be assassins pointed the finger at him, publicly. The day really couldn't have been worse. Except it got worse. His shamans were killed and expelled everywhere in the south, and the last straw was the blood feud that targeted him personally.He was furious. The audacity of these simpletons, challenging his spiritual guidance. Northern war chiefs started to gather around him. More simpletons. What he needed was a quick and decisive attack. But looking at thei

Present timeHe started again with just a crumb of magic. A tiny piece of raw energy danced in front of him, waiting. He reached for it and tried to disassemble it into its original parts. It resisted. Once complete it did not want to cease to exist. Nio tried harder and harder. It seemed so easy that night by the campfire, but without the anger that fuelled it, dismantling the synergy proved to be a difficult task. He threw it on a nearby tree, and the tree was gone. Destruction was easy. He tried again.In the meantime, almost everyone returned to the hideout. Only Ia stayed in Canestor to oversee the transportation of the goods and to wait for their signal, but Jon came back, Lara came back, and Ghtraht came and went. It was obvious to everyone that Shieena and the war chief had grown closer. Even Jon admitted to Nio that he was happy for both of them. He was still a little je

LaraLara was exhausted. After she arrived at the dwarven hub, she rode day and night to reach the elven capital. The horses were prepared in advance, so she would just jump on a fresh horse and ride on. Her arse was killing her. But she was finally in the elven capital, waiting to be summoned by the most powerful elf in Velas.Lady Sif was sitting at her desk. Lara wondered why the unusual ones always strive for power the most. Thea Sif didn't look like an elf. With slightly darker skin, much shorter in stature than any elf Lara knew, and rich dark hair, she could easily pass for a human. Even her eyes were unusual. Instead of the blue or green eyes that most elves had, hers were brown. She had a perky nose, small and dignified. Her only feature that was typically elven were her ears, long and pointed. And a cold determination in those deceitfully warm eyes. Lara was absolutely