The Truth by Ryan Cahill
Blurb:
The Truth will set you free.
The final The Bound and The Broken novella coming 2026!
Review:
Spoiler filled review
“ ‘Draleid l’aël. Er myia vayîr. Er vîría vayîr.’ I am a Draleid. It is my duty. It is our duty.”
Ryan Cahill is a bloody genius. Plain and simple.
It is a near impossible task to put into words the level of anticipation and expectation I had before starting The Truth. This is a tough novella to write. We have seen The Fall. We know the bloody devastation that was the aftermath of the fall of The Order. What was Ryan going to be able to show us in the years leading up to The Fall that would change or expand upon the story we already had? There is a dangerous phenomenon in fantasy where the mysterious history of a people or story arc provides a level of intrigue and excitement that causes the readership to plead for additional details and answers and then are left with disappointment when the reveal actually comes. It was the ambiguous mystery that the reader enjoyed, not the answer. This novella had all the potential to fall into that category, but Ryan freaking pulled it off! I have loved The Bound and the Broken with a passion that deserves its own dragon bond. And this is potentially my favorite entry Ryan has given us in this epic narrative.
“In your wake, I fly. By your eyes, I see.”
The Truth is a raw, bloody peek behind the curtain of betrayal and devastation that sets the emotional stage for what I would argue is THE new standard for epic, dragonrider fantasy series. I don’t make that claim lightly. There is just nothing that matches The Bound and the Broken for powerful, epic moments, inspirational speeches, bloody dragon battles, and nuanced characters with so much motivation that you find yourself rooting for every single character at different stages of the books. Of all the fantasy worlds that I love to frequent, Epheria is the one I consistently most long to return to so I can join the draleid on dragon wing. The Truth was a blast of dragonfire into my imagination as I was reminded how deeply I love The Bound and the Broken.
Okay, that’s enough effusive praise for The Bound and the Broken in general. You’re here to hear about The Truth. Again, in case you missed it above, this is a completely spoiler filled review from here on out. You have been warned.
Ryan jumps into the past, beginning The Truth about a century before the unholy events of The Fall and then jumps forward in time as we approach the actual night of The Fall. Throughout this trip through history, we are witness to the gradual corruption of The Order, who has sworn to govern the people of Epheria with the draleid as their sworn protectors and enforcers. The Truth begins during a massacre in the city of Vastillion. A group of draleid have betrayed The Order and the people of Epheria, lying waste to the people of Vastillion and murdering thousands of innocent civilians. A young Alvira is pushed into a rage as Eltoar initially attempts to uphold a command from the Archon of the Draleid and The Order to stand down and refrain from engaging in the protection of the city until further reinforcements can arrive. Alvira knows that thousands more will be slaughtered while they wait. She convinces Eltoar to ignore the command and they engage the wayward draleid who speak of an unknown man in the shadows who has told them this betrayal is the only way to save the land of Epheria. In the battle, draleid are gruesomely killed and Alvira feels directly responsible for their deaths. Alvira and Eltoar are forced to appear before the council of The Order to account for their disobedience and Eltoar takes the responsibility for the battlefield call. This sets the stage for years to pass as scene after scene demonstrate The Order putting the draleid into difficult positions, asking them not to engage in different battles to protect their numbers or because of other strategic agendas.
Ryan does a masterful job of showing the terrible, tearing pain the draleid feel in each of these scenarios where they are forced to watch death and destruction that they could potentially alleviate as they attempt to be governed by a council who has never heard the screams of dying children. The heartbreak and emotion as draleids and innocent people are carelessly slaughtered. There is this stagger step and constant moral conundrum of whether it is more correct to sacrifice yourself in the face of certain death and follow the sterile commands of a council who will never be haunted by nightmares of the devastation or if, as a draleid, you are above the cowardly whims of a distant council and it is your duty to ignore the commands.
“The choice was mine, and I made it. Criticise my actions when you hold the lives of thousands in your palm, not while you sit in white stone halls beneath statues of the gods.”
In one particularly heartbreaking scene, the dragons and their riders have been brutally terrorized by a new horror that Ryan introduces in this novella: the veyaks. These monsters are able to spray an acid that is strong enough to slowly eat through the steel dragonscales protecting the dragons. Once the dragons are incapacitated and unable to fly, but still alive, the veyaks proceed to slowly devour the dragons as they screech in pain and sorrow. The draleids had been instructed to stand down, because the number of veyaks was too great and the council felt that the city was lost. Eltoar and Helios rage against the command, with Eltoar eventually submitting to the will of Alvira and the council. Helios looks at him with eyes of betrayal and rage and flies to the city, risking his own life, to burn the bodies of the dying dragons to put them out of their misery and grant them a quick death of dignity. As Helios flies away riderless, Eltoar looks down, “I failed you.” The struggling pain and resentment in Eltoar becomes a pulsating ball of emotion throughout the novella as more and more is asked of him. The moral harm transgresses everything he has held dear for his entire life.
“It is easy to judge another’s choice when you do not bear the weight of it.”
One of the scenes that crushed me the most was the death of the two little girls that Farda was caring for as daughters after the senseless murder of his brother. The pain and emotion Ryan bleeds into these pages is on another level.
Ryan paints Alvira’s relationship with Eltoar and Farda in vivid paint strokes, driving home how deeply their bond and trust ran. Two of my favorite quotes were:
“There is nothing in this world that would turn my heart dark to you. I am doing all I can every day to be the Archon the Draleid need as the world shifts around us. I need your strength by my side. You are my anchor. I will not fail you so long as you keep the faith.”
“If the choices were easy, Alvira, any soul could bear the weight,” he whispered. “But they are not, and so here we stand. We live this life so that others will never know it. We carry the pain and stand against the darkness so that others may know the light. And we do it not for glory, nor for honour, because both are short lived and easily lost. We do it because there is yearning within us to protect. Because we were born with a fire in our hearts, a fire that keeps us walking forward when the centuries pass and bodies pile. A fire that gives us just enough warmth to survive when all others would simply lie down and die.”
These quotes and these relationships are so painful to witness because we all know what happens on the day of The Fall. These words, knowing that both of these friends will betray her by the end of the book, are heartwrenching. I can’t express how well this was done throughout The Truth. You know what’s about to happen. And you look on in fascinated horror and sadness as these men pledge their lives and souls to a friendship and trust with Alvira, only for it to end with Alvira’s headless body being thrown from the Tower of Faith while dragonfire burns the sky.
Secrets are revealed and betrayals deepen as motivations are laid bare in the climax of this novella in the years, months, and days leading up to The Fall. But, in typical Ryan fashion, the true magic of The Bound and the Broken is that there is not a true villain. The Truth lets us delve deep into the minds of Eltoar, Fane, and Farda, showing their reasons and motivations for their actions. There is not a single one of them who is acting in a purely malicious manner. Each is dealing with a struggling, broken system and are willing to go to different lengths to correct the injustices and pain that they are experiencing. Each is justified in their eyes and is sincerely striving to better the land of Epheria. The ability of Ryan to make even the “villians” of the story sympathetic and motivated by desires other than greed and wanting the world to burn for chaos sake is mesmerizing and gives The Bound and the Broken the layers and depth that make it one of the best dragonrider stories ever written. Is it grim and bloody and bleak? You better believe it. But is it inspirational and heroic? Without a doubt.
“Because being a hero is not about the size of your deeds, but about the heart of them. And you, son, you were born with a rare thing – a heart that never quits. If you did nothing more with your life from this day until eternity, you would be the greatest thing I ever did.”
In my opinion, The Bound and the Broken is the greatest dragonrider series currently being written and is a strong contender for the best ever written. This is a series that transcends the epicness of bloody battles and inspiring speeches and has taken on a true life of its own. I’ve been saying it for years, but The Bound and the Broken is special. It just is.
If you haven’t started The Bound and the Broken, The Truth is not where you should start. But you NEED to read this book, because it is so, so good. So do yourself a favor, pick up a copy of Of Blood and Fire and start your journey.
“Draleid N’aldryr.”
