The sixth and final book in the Preludes series follows Tanis Half-Elven on a dangerous adventure through time and memory

The tale is told that Tanis Half-Elven once disappeared in the mountains near Solace. He returned changed, ennobled—and with a secret. No one knew what happened to him in those mist-shrouded peaks. Until now.

Accompanied by his new dwarf acquaintance, Clotnik, Tanis chases after information about his mysterious and long-dead father. His search leads him to Kishpa, a dying, lovesick mage who holds the answers to Tanis’ burning questions—but who needs Tanis’ help first. So begins a wild adventure in which Tanis becomes a traveler in Kishpa’s memory, journeying into the past to fight an impossible battle against time itself.

Before he ever led the Companions, Tanis Half-Elven walked a lonely road between two worlds. Born of violence and shame, torn between human passion and elven restraint, he spent his early years in Qualinost, scorned by many and pitied by others. He found solace only in his friendship with Laurana and her brother Porthios, yet even that peace was tinged with uncertainty and unrest.

Now an adult, Tanis has left the elven city to seek meaning beyond the sterile halls of his youth. But just as he begins to find purpose in the wider world, ghosts of the past rise to meet him. A message reaches him from Kethrenan, a mentor and friend, summoning him back to Qualinost. Against his better judgment, Tanis returns—only to find the city gripped by fear and secrecy. Kethrenan has vanished under mysterious circumstances, and the elven council refuses to speak plainly of the threat they face.

Driven by a need for answers and a restless sense of responsibility, Tanis follows a trail of cryptic clues that leads him beyond elven borders into the shadowy ruins of the past. There, he discovers the remnants of an ancient and powerful force—a secret buried since the time of the Cataclysm, now awakening once more. Alongside new allies, including a bold warrior named Amara, Tanis must uncover the truth behind the vanishing, the relics of dark magic, and a conspiracy that could fracture elvenkind from within.

As danger mounts and old wounds reopen, Tanis confronts more than physical foes. He is haunted by visions of an alternate life—a mirror self who embraced his darker impulses and rose to power through blood and deceit. These dreams, drawn from the magic he disturbs, threaten to consume him, casting doubt on every choice he’s ever made.

In the end, Tanis must accept the duality of his nature. He is neither wholly elf nor wholly human—neither noble hero nor helpless victim. He is what he chooses to be. With that understanding, he defeats the threat poised to destroy Qualinesti from within, not through brute force, but by stepping into a role he long avoided: that of a leader.

Tanis: The Shadow Years is a meditation on identity, guilt, and the quiet courage required to embrace one’s whole self. It paints a portrait of a man born between two worlds, shaped by sorrow, yet destined to stand at the center of history. In the shadows of his past, Tanis finds the strength to lead—not by shedding his doubts, but by carrying them with honor.