A retired war hero finds that he can't escape the conflict that grips his world, even if he flees to the furthest corners.
James--known to most in his world as Aurolan--has retired from the Coalition Army. He left many things behind, taking only his magically-restored youth to complement decades of experience.
He has taken solace in the only place he could flee to where he would not be recognized, the town of Fae Lake. He has taken an apprentice, people have treated him well, and he has spent five years trying to unwind. Five years of unwinding leave him as relaxed as a bear trap when his old enemies blunder in. He finds himself back in the position of scout and assassin, without an army to back him up this time.
Welcome to the Shattered World. A land where six races scratch out an existence by fighting among the scraps of five fallen civilizations. Where magic can be in blood, mind, deed, or all at the same time. And where, among the plots that imperil everything they have built, people try to be all that they can.
If you like this, please read my other work on Authonomy, Hero's Chains, which catches up with some of the same characters ten years later.