Barnes & NobleHomecoming's Fall by Mark Jager

This stand-alone novel in the celebrated After The War Series sees war hero Orec Black blade, bitter at missing the final battle against the Kinslayer and the death of his comrades, coming to the aid of Doctors Catt and Fisher to stop another evil power wreaking havoc across their war-torn land. Orec Black blade missed the fall of the Kinslayer, tasked instead with leading his elite band of warriors on a diversionary battle where he split the head and pulsating crown of the enemy's sorcerer, causing a blast that killed almost everyone in a 100-meter radius. Just four months later the broken circlet finds its way to Doctors Catt and Fisher, collectors of rare artefacts, and their innate curiosity and tinkering with the crown unleashes a new terror on the land. Only Orec and his surviving men can stop it, but will the black sword he carries be enough to stop the coming darkness?