Resonant Bronze (Lodestone Tales, #2) / Lodestone Tales (ePub)

The warriors of Torbellai brought back a prize in the night, and young Paitra wants to see it. Even hidden away in the armory, the artifact changed the whole mood of their mountain citadel from dread foreboding to hope. And Paitra's people need hope to turn the tide in their long war against the troll horde.

Might this small triumph presage a mightier victory?

But the warlord hid the fighters' plunder for good reason. Forged by trolls and radiating magic, it presents grave risk to the soul and spirit of any who approach it.

Sneaking past the weapon smiths into the armory with his brother, Paitra still believes his home a safe place for boy's mischief. But bronze hammered by trolls is anything but safe. Opportunity cloaked within its lethal enchantment awaits the right unlocking key. Could Paitra wield that key? And will he survive his curiosity?

Through death into magic and sound, Paitra confronts . . . resonant bronze.


The Lodestone Tales

In the years that came before the ancient days of the North-lands, a brilliant inventor fabricated the lodestones-powerful artifacts that concentrate magical force.

And while men and women walk the earth but a short while, the lodestones persist through centuries and millennia. When they fall into the hands of mortals, history changes.

Follow the lodestones down through the ages as adventure follows adventure, and ordinary folk rise to meet extraordinary challenges.

(Although the Lodestone Tales form a rough history, each story stands alone. You need not read them in order.)

Skies of Navarys (1)
The Tally Master (1.5)
Resonant Bronze (2)
Rainbow's Lodestone (3)
Star-drake (4)


Praise for J.M. Ney-Grimm

"...Ney-Grimm paints a vivid, lush picture worthy of the Peter Jackson treatment." - D.J. Gelner, Amazon review of Troll-magic

"Extremely fascinating and insightful..." - Paty Saternye, Amazon review of Livli's Gift

"Ney-Grimm's unique blend of Nordic fantasy and fairy tale mentality is a refreshing take on the genre... I read a lot of fiction, and I can honestly say I've not come across anything quite like this." - James J. Parsons, Speaking to the Eyes review of Rainbow's Lodestone

"Her work compares favorably with Robin McKinley and Patricia McKillip ...I'm really pleased to have discovered her!" - Mira, Amazon review of Troll-magic


Excerpt from Resonant Bronze

Something had changed the previous autumn in the Battle of the Falling Waters.

The Ghriana warriors poured into the valley between the lake and the cliff, high-couraged and fell, sweeping the troll horde onto the precipice, pushing them over its brink where the waters tumbled.

Victory seemed near-the next in a string of crucial victories-when a low, resonant throbbing disturbed the air and shivered the earth. The Ghriana faltered, suddenly weak at the knee and hollow at heart. The troll horde recovered and, under Regenen Carbry's command, seized the field.

The Ghrianan death toll grew grievous, and every conflict since had featured troll dominance, Ghrianan rout, all accompanied by that hideous throbbing groan on the breeze and rumble through the ground.

But, now, now, something had changed again. Why?

Paitra wanted to see the bounty brought in by the victorious warriors. What was this prize, that its capture should bend the current of the war?