From Darkness Won

From Darkness Won by Jill Williamson

Published by Marcher Lord Press

8345 Pepperridge Drive

Colorado Springs, CO 80920

www.marcherlordpress.com

This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law.

MARCHER LORD PRESS and the MARCHER LORD PRESS logo are trademarks of Marcher Lord Press. Absence of TM in connection with marks of Marcher Lord Press or other parties does not indicate an absence of trademark protection of those marks.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, and/or events is purely coincidental.

Cover Designer: Kirk DouPonce, Dog-Eared Design, www.dogeareddesign.com

Cover Photo By: Kirk DouPonce

Creative Team: Jeff Gerke, Dawn Shelton

Copyright © 2011 by Jill Williamson

All rights reserved

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

An application to register this book for cataloging has been filed with the Library of Congress.

International Standard Book Number: 978-0-9825987-7-1

Advance Praise for
From Darkness Won

“A satisfying end to a ground-breaking trilogy. Can’t wait to see what Jill Williamson comes up with next!”

Kathy Tyers, author of
The Annotated Firebird

“
From Darkness Won
had me up until 3:00 a.m. reading. It
bonds to your hands the moment you pick it up, refusing to be put down until the last page falls.”

Christian Miles, author of
The Scarlet Key

“
From Darkness Won
is filled with action, romance,
adventure and mystery. The storyline races forward, launching the reader through battle, loss, and victory. Just when the reader thinks all is known, Williamson twists the tale with one or two or five more surprises.”

Amy Meyer

“My life wouldn’t be the same without
By Darkness Hid
,
To Darkness Fled
, and last but
not
least,
From Darkness Won
. Jill Williamson held me a captive audience from first
to last.”

Adele Hajicek, writing as Adele
Treskillard
, 19

“Aside from finding a wife of my own and following God, I can say that one thing I would
love
to see/help with is making
the
Blood of Kings
series into movies.
From Darkness Won
is
the riveting conclusion to a series of epic proportions.”

Leighton, 16

Praise for
To Darkness Fled

“Williamson pens an action-packed, imaginative second installment in the
Blood of Kings
trilogy. All the familiar
epic elements and emotions are freshly rendered, with Vrell and Achan especially memorable as they grow during their journey. The pace gallops along, leaving readers hungry for the concluding book.”

Publisher’s Weekly

Praise for
By Darkness Hid

“This thoroughly entertaining and smart tale will appeal to fans of
Donita
K. Paul and J.R.R. Tolkien. Highly recommended for CF and fantasy collections.”

Library Journal

“Kings, politics, orphans (called strays), knights, squires, bloodvoicing (mind reading), darkness, and light. This book is packed full of everything you could possibly ask for.”

USA
Today
Faith & Reason Book Club Blog

“Wonderfully written with a superb plot, this book is a surefire hit with almost any reader. An adventure tale with a touch of romance and enough intrigue to keep the pages turning practically by themselves.”

Voice of Youth Advocates

“It is rare to come across a book in the fantasy genre that has such an organic feel… Once in a
while there comes along an
author who takes classic fantasy plot contrivances and breathes new life into them.”

Church Libraries

“
By Darkness Hid
is the kind of fantasy that should be on
Christian bookstore shelves everywhere. Fascinating and complete. If you like fantasy novels at all, you owe it to yourself to get hold of this one. I can’t wait to explore it further. Highly recommended.”

Christian Fiction Review

“I love a good fantasy, and
By Darkness Hid
more than fills the
bill. With an unpredictable plot, twists of supernatural ability, and finely crafted tension between the forces of good and evil, Jill Williamson’s book had me captivated. I jumped into the skin of the heroine and enjoyed her journey as if it were my own.”

Donita
K. Paul, author of the
Dragon Keeper Chronicles

“Jill Williamson is a major arrival. She presents characters full of mystery and leaves room for plenty of further exploration.
By
Darkness Hid
is a fast-paced addition to the world of swords
and sorcery, using a backdrop of political and spiritual intrigue to heighten the tension. When readers begin lining up for the sequel, you’ll find me at the front of the line.”

Eric Wilson, author of
Field of Blood
and
Haunt of Jackals

To Adele, Chris, Jacob, Leighton, and Ness

for your enthusiasm, help, friendship,

and random texts of the day.

PROLOGUE

Torch in hand, Sidal climbed behind his master up the spiral staircase of the Mahanaim watchtower. “But, sir, why is the teacher called ‘Hadad’?”

Macoun sent his reply to Sidal’s mind.
The title was chosen for its meaning and similarity to the royal name
Hadar.
And
it is
the
Hadad
, not simply Hadad. It
isn’t a name but a role, a human host for the keliy.

“What does ‘the Hadad’ mean, then?”

God of rain, storms, and thunder. Division.

Sidal considered this as they reached a short landing then started up another flight of stairs. “Does the Hadad believe that claiming such a title makes him a god?”

No one claims the title
“the
Hadad
,”
boy. For hundreds of years past, the keliy has chosen its host. Not the other way around.

“What
is
a keliy?”

The
keliy. There is only one. It is a powerful deity.

That a god would take a human form intrigued Sidal. The chosen one must be a great man. “Will your master approve of me?”