The Lone Apprentice

Isaencarl’s secret King’s Guard has been protecting the realm for eons. Guardsmen are cherished and revered throughout the realm, more so by many than even the beloved king and royal family. Chosen as young boys for their outstanding intelligence and sensitivity, only the purest of heart can make it through the rigorous training and selection process, a program that emphasizes mental and moral excellence as much as combat and intelligence training. Guardsman are above reproach and practically worshiped throughout Isaencarl so Anthen has been dreaming of his impending graduation from the academy since a small boy, yet that dream turns to a nightmare as the soon-to-be apprentice learns the perilous duty and extreme sacrifice that have fallen to him alone. With no one else left to trust in the elite covert brotherhood, it falls to the mere apprentice to risk his very soul on a quest of many leagues to stop a powerful sorcerer and gathering darkness that threaten to obliterate the entire realm and beyond.