Character Relationships in The Relics of War

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, I’ve planned several blogs this month to focus on the relationships (and on occasion romance) featured in my books. This week, I’m focused on The Relics of War series and its characters.

Most of these pairings don’t form until book two, so if you’re trying to avoid spoilers related to “hook ups”, you may want to stop reading now. I’m not going to go into any details that will ruin the main plot line.

Jal’den and Sal’zar

This one is revealed in the first book, and it’s the only already established relationship amongst any of the main characters or supporting cast. Jal’den is a warrior and holds the title of Arms Master within the Murkor army, while his partner is an alchemist with some unusual abilities that make him a target of the Soulless.

Jal’den tends to be a bit overprotective of Sal’zar, given his profession, but Sal’zar can take care of himself. You’ll get to see more of that in book 3 of the series. They go through some difficult events in both the trilogy and the novella (see below). Whether or not they have a happy ending…. Well, you’ll have to read to the end of the series to learn that.

Amongst the Murkor, their union is unusual but not unheard of. I don’t go into detail about their past in the main trilogy, but for those who are interested in learning more about these two, they’re the focus of my novella, The Ballad of Alchemy and Steel, which I plan to release to my newsletter subscribers in April. That little project was so much fun to write!

Emra and Patak

Emra isn’t introduced until the later chapters of book 1, but she has a much greater role in books 2 and 3. When the reader first encounters her, she’s a knight in the service of Balotica kingdom, leading a small group of soldiers to bolster the defenses of the eastern cities. Certain events lead her away from her homeland and through the Wasted Land to the Stronghold of the Scorpion Men, where she meets Patak.

Patak is Vardak’s oldest brother and has a bit of a lengthy history with girlfriends. He is outgoing, fun-loving, and likes to make others laugh. Even though the two are from different species, there is an immediate attraction by both. This causes some tension between Patak and both of his younger brothers. Whether or not Patak and Emra wind up together is something you’ll have to read into book 3 to find out.

Ravin and ???

Ravin is a powerful mage, unaffiliated with either Council of Magic. He’s a bitter enemy of the Soulless and when introduced in book 1, his sole purpose is to seek revenge on them for what he was forced to endure. During book 2, Ravin finds a much greater purpose, though I can’t go into details here, and for the first time in his life, he finds he has a true friend and ally. Perhaps it will become something even more.

The ??? is a real character, and was introduced in the first book. I don’t want to spoil some major pieces of book 2, so this character’s identity needs to remain a mystery for now. I’ll say this: Without this character, Ravin’s life would have remained very dark and downright miserable. He becomes a better person after connecting to this character – and I absolutely loved how they worked together in book 2.

Fan Speculation (So Far)

It amused me when I had a couple readers ask if Dranamir and Kama will eventually hook up. This won’t happen for a couple reasons. Dranamir has no interest in romance, and while Kama has made a number of advances toward her, nothing amorous will come of it (in reality, she’d probably kill him before he comes close.) There is also something that occurs in book 3 that will reveal why Dranamir refuses him time and again. I won’t say anything more.

Next week, I’ll talk about the pairs from The Caein Legacy. If you missed my post from January 20, yes, I have plans to publish that series. I’m really excited to start sharing a bit more!

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