The Obsidian Trilogy

This is a trilogy I was fortunate enough to stumble onto during one of my many forays through the Science Fiction/Fantasy section at Barnes and Noble. It was written by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory.

The first novel of the trilogy, released in 2002, is called The Outstretched Shadow and follows the young disenchanted nobleson Kellen Tavadon. He lives in the magical city of Armethalieh, which has cut itself off from most of the world because of its perceived superiority. Kellen is banished from the city for heresy and this book chronicles his experiences outside the City as he discovers a devious threat against the Light.

The second novel, released 2004, is titled To Light a Candle and describes the beginning of the war between the Light and the Dark. Kellen, now an Elven-trained Knight-Mage, leads the first maneuvers against the Demon allies threatening the Elvish lands. Together with the elves and another banished mage from Armethalieh, they discover the weapon that could destroy their Demon enemies.

The concluding novel, published in 2006, is called When Darkness Falls and describes the final battles between the Light and the Dark as the Demons try to gain control of Armethalieh.

You'll have to read them to find out how it ends. I highly recommend it. It's been one of my favorite reads in quite a long time.