The Ballad of Alchemy and Steel

In the Murkor culture, it is customary for the individuals bound during the unity ceremony of ujar'havel to compose a book of memories detailing the events that led to their first meeting and subsequent desire to be joined.

As a Murkor without a mother to guide him, Sal'zar is afforded unusual freedoms in his path to ujar'havel and the selection of a caste. In their strongly matriarchal society, his father's voice holds little weight. He must forge his own destiny, though he struggles to find the proper way.

Sal'zar knows he is unsuited to the soldier's caste, but is running out of options. One fateful day, he journeys to the sparring ring to test his mettle, where he meets Jal'den. Jal'den is the same age, but has already proven himself a better fighter than most of the older children. Noting Sal'zar is without a sparring partner, Jal'den offers to pair with him, and so begins a long friendship that may ultimately become something more.

The Ballad of Alchemy and Steel is a companion novella to The Relics of War, set in the years prior to the events of the trilogy. It features the story of Jal'den and Sal'zar, a pair of Murkor entangled in the Kal's bid for freedom from the Soulless in the main series. The novella focuses on the happier story of their friendship and later, their life pairing union of ujar'havel.

This work provides an in-depth view of the Murkor culture not encountered in the trilogy.