Wolf The Knife's Edge

The Ronin Saga
1. Auflage 2013
ISBN: 978-0-9891483-3-7
Verlag: Matthew Wolf
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: PC/MAC/eReader/Tablet/DL/kein Kopierschutz

E-Book, Englisch, 350 Seiten

When legends come to life the world trembles from a single name. Ronin. Once-heroes from a different age, they wield elemental powers... wind, water, fire, stone, forest, sun, moon, flesh, and metal. At the same time, a young man discovers his best friend with a sword in her stomach, and dark wings sprouting from her back. Guards rush onto the scene, accuse him of the act, and he is forced to flee. In a new world without his memories, Gray must find his way amid legends and darkness, as he wrestles with an elemental power inside himself. A power all too similar to the infamous Ronin...

Autoren/Hrsg.

Wolf, Matthew

Leseproben

A Night to Remember Still moving, Kirin hit the ground. Instinctively, he tucked and rolled on the hard dirt. He came to a stop and his stomach churned, the world spinning. The ramparts were gone, as if evaporated. The stone was now replaced with hard earth, and he felt bits of gravel between his nails. On his left, a stone’s throw away, a group of girls in gray dresses sat on a grassy knoll shaded by old silveroot trees. The trees’ glossy bark glistened like a fish’s scaled belly. They listened attentively to an older woman in scarlet robes, who wove luminescent green strands of nature between her hands like a seamstress—as she did, a silveroot’s nearest branch miraculously lengthened, bending to touch her outstretched palm. Elsewhere, groups of women roved the grounds, conversing lightly, ignoring his sudden appearance in the middle of the courtyard. To his left, near a stack of barrels, a pair of older Neophytes trained, tossing a large flame steadily between the two. He recognized it as one of the four courtyards of the Neophyte Palace, where female Neophytes trained. The Palace itself loomed nearby. “I didn’t know there was a transporter there,” he told Ren who stood calmly in the center of the courtyard. Ren shrugged. “I had to do something. That was quite the move. I doubt I would have evaded it. You moved like the wind.” “Not fast enough, but I guess I’ll accept the fact that you had to cheat.” Ren gave a burly chuckle. “Speaking of moving like the wind, for a moment there, I thought you weren’t moving, but shifting. While the transporters were developed by a hundred Reavers using the Link, it is nothing compared to the Ronin’s abilities. The Ronin could teleport at will, and not just to one designated area like a transporter, but anywhere. They called it shifting. Quite the ability.” Kirin scratched his head. “That’d make sense if I could harness the spark more than a trickle, Ren. A rock has as much natural ability as I do.” “No. A rock can probably harness more of the spark than you.” “Thanks.” “… but you, Kirin, have raw ability.” “With the sword, maybe,” he replied. The man said nothing. “I’ve been tested, Ren. Dozens of times, remember?” Ren shrugged. “The tests have been wrong before.” He narrowed his eyes when he heard a voice call out his name. From the grand arched entry that led into the Palace, Enise, his young friend with a startled fray of white-blond hair, charged down the wide steps. Enise approached. “Kirin—” He steadied the girl with a hand. “It’s all right, slow down. What are you doing here? Is something wrong?” “You haven’t heard?” “Heard what?” “Listen!” Enise put a hand to her ear. The sounds of the bells hit him like a hammer’s blow. “She passed!” He grabbed Enise’s hands and danced in a circle, sending her into a fit of laughter. “I can’t believe it,” he said. “The youngest Reaver in all of history.” And he felt as if those bells chimed for both of them, for he never thought he would live to see this day. Looking back, he vividly remembered passing through the giant black gates of the Citadel as an orphan. Tired, hungry and on the verge of death, he had entered a world he had always feared. A place rumored to be full of the most powerful wielders of the spark, behind cloud-scraping black walls. He could still remember the feel of his pounding heart as he took in the Citadel. It gleamed like a vast gem of obsidian, the red-robed men and women demanding respect just short of kings. Since then, he had been tested in every way to get to where he stood now, and those chiming bells were a testament to their triumph. “She wants to see you,” Enise said. He turned to Ren. “Master, I know I’m training, but…” The man laughed and waved him away. “I’m done with you for now. The girl is waiting. Go to the Oval Hall and celebrate, and tell her congratulations from me.” “She’s not in the Oval Hall,” Enise said. “She left.” “Wait, she’s not staying for the ceremonies?” He knew Vera wasn’t one for fanfare, but this was the Trials! She had been dreaming of this moment since they were big enough to don the smallest of gray robes. “Why?” Enise shrugged. “All I know is she was headed for her rooms in a hurry.” “Then to her rooms I go. Rekdala Forhas,” he spoke solemnly. “Till honor and death my friend,” Ren mirrored. “Will I see you at the Patriarch’s meeting?” Ren rubbed his jaw. “You will. He wants me there, as well as the Commander of the Citadel Guard, and all other Captains, though I’m not sure why.” He shook the oddity off. “Until tonight then.” “Until then.” Kirin ran out of the courtyard and vaulted up the stairs. Halfway up the marble steps, he brushed the shoulder of a girl fast approaching from the other way, and a flush of fear flashed through him. He nearly stumbled with the sudden disturbance to his Ki. A dark feeling pressed against his heart as the midday torches along the walls sputtered. He looked back, but the girl had disappeared. Ahead, something was coming. * * * The Palace was vaulted and filled with skylights that let in shafts of morning light. Women walked quietly among hundreds of shallow pools, weaving through a sea of ivory pillars. Hundreds knelt in prayer. Kirin turned the corner and a woman stood before him. He was two-hands taller than her, but somehow he felt the shorter of the two. Evalyn’s chest heaved from running. He admitted it was not an unattractive sight in the least. She was well built, with slender shoulders, a slim waist, and a pretty face. The problem was she knew it all too well. “Hello to you too, Kirin,” she said with an arrogant twist to her lips. “Morning,” he said, and turned to the girl tucked behind the woman, “Morning Rosyaln.” Rosyaln was pretty and smart. Sadly, she was Evalyn’s shadow. Rosyaln smiled in return. Evalyn looked behind, and the girl’s smile became a frown. Kirin sighed. “I don’t have time for you this morning, Evalyn. I’d love to stay and chat, but if you’ll excuse me I was just on my way…” “To see Vera,” Evayln interjected. “I heard there was an accident, do you know what happened?” “An accident?” “That’s what I heard. I do hope she is all right,” Evalyn said then lowered her voice to a whisper, “I even heard that someone was desiccated in the process…” A flush of fear shot through him. “Was it Vera?” Kirin strode forward and gripped Evalyn’s arm. The girl looked taken aback, her bravado gone. “I’m—I’m not certain. I only heard someone was,” she said, and then winced. “Kirin, you’re hurting me.” He let go and moved around her, sprinting through the halls. He prayed it wasn’t Vera. What would Vera do? She always said she couldn’t live without her power… He knew it wasn’t an idle threat. Reaching her room, his senses flared. He touched the door’s warm handle. It sent a tremor up his arm. Then, as quickly as it came it was gone. Without a second thought, he opened it. He froze. Black tentacles hung in the air. Then he saw her. Vera knelt in the center of the room, hunched as if hurt. From her back, the darkness expanded, unfurling like black wings. Kirin’s grip tightened on the door’s handle and he moved to free her when his Ki shouted in warning. As the dark feelers slithered over the walls, one of the black tentacles touched a nearby dresser and it snapped like dry tinder. Kirin’s mind reeled. Suddenly, a frigid numbness shot through his body. He looked to his feet. An inky darkness pooled around his boots. His limbs refused to move as the darkness crawled over him. He pulled, but the darkness only slithered faster. It clawed higher, touching his thigh, reaching out like liquid hands. He opened his mind, picturing the leaf, and as he had been trained, he threw his rising fear into the floating leaf. He took a slow, heavy step. One leg at a time, he pushed forward as the dark hands crawled higher, until he reached Vera. Her skin was pale. Green and blue veins spidered across her features. More veins pulsed in her slender neck like thick, tangled roots. She’s still alive. He held onto the thought like a drowning man. Quelling his terror, he grabbed Vera. Then he saw it. A blade protruded from her back, buried to its hilt within her stomach. His fingers clenched on her robes, and he gagged as warm blood poured over his hands. He touched the sword and pain shot through his arm, bursting inside his skull....