Mercedes Lackey Collections - Enduring Flame

Enduring Flame

Main article: The Enduring Flame Trilogy

New series, set 1000 years after the events in Obsidian Mountain (Obsidian 1-3); and following an entirely new cast of characters, with the exception of cameo appearances by major characters Jermayan and Idalia, and the continued presence of Ancaladar the Dragon.

1. The Phoenix Unchained with James Mallory (2007)
2. The Phoenix Endangered with James Mallory (2008)
3. The Phoenix Transformed with James Mallory (2009)

The universe of the Obsidian Trilogy and Enduring Flame Series contains many mythological creatures, and contains several types of magic, each with its own dynamics, strengths, and weakness. The High Magic and Wild Magic are used by the protagonists, while the Dark Magick is an old magic practiced by a race of demons called the Endarkened.

There are several types of mages featured:

Wildmage- A mage who was given the "Three books of Wild Magic". They can do a wide variety of things, however, each spell has two prices that depend on the size of the magick: A physical price, that usually gets the Wildmage tired but it can get him killed. And the MagePrice, that requires the people involved to do a deed as dictated by the gods of wild magic. Both prices can be shared by other people if they want.

Knight-Mage- A type of wild-mage which only appears during the direst of times. Most of their magic is in the ability to excel in the various forms of warfare. However, what comes naturally to a regular Wild Mage often comes with difficulty to a Knight-Mage, as a result of their martial focus.

High Mage- A mage who practices "High magic", also known as war magic. They must be trained to use their magic, otherwise the magic will kill them. High Magery involves decades of training of the Magegift to gain mastery, and differs from the Wild Magic in that it is heavily ritualized and requires vast amounts of supporting equipment for all but generally the simplest of spells (unless one has mastered High Magic).

Elvenmage- Litlle information is told about them, but they are similar to Wildmages

Dark Mage- A Wildmage or Elvenmage that has been tainted or shadow-touched. Many believed that they were in the right, while others were just greedy. Dark Mages serve the Endarkened.

The Endarkened- A race of demons who use a powerful magic which derives power from the suffering and death of others. They were originally Elves who were tainted by "He-Who-Is", the main antagonists in the Obsidian Trilogy. The Endarkened had immortality.

All kinds of mages, except the Endarkened, can bond themselves to dragons, creating a mind-link with them and having access to their almost unlimited source of power. Usually both dragon and bonded have to accept the bond, however, Dark Mages use spells to force the bond, so, the dragons used to run away from them.