Nightblade's Honor (ARC) by Ryan Kirk

Author:Ryan Kirk [Kirk, Ryan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781503953154
Goodreads: 36358347
Publisher: 47North
Published: 2018-02-26T13:00:00+00:00

Koji woke up before the morning sun, as was his new custom. When he had been younger, he had never felt the need to be up early. He was often awake late into the night with his friends growing up, and he woke when he pleased.

He had soon outpaced his friends in the development of his swordsmanship, and it wasn’t long before he wasn’t invited to their evening outings. The exclusion had hurt, but Koji had focused his efforts on his training, growing ever stronger, outdistancing them even more. But his nightly habits had remained until recently.

He couldn’t say why exactly. Waking up early felt right, and being able to see the sunrise in the morning had become one of the favorite parts of his day. The morning was a time of silence and possibility, a new day that hadn’t yet unfolded.

That didn’t mean Koji didn’t fight to get out of his bedroll. He awoke most mornings with the covers pulled high over his head, cozy compared to the brisk air of the tent. After overcoming that first hurdle, he still had to leave the tent and step out into the crisp winter air, air so frigid his lashes stuck together if he closed his eyes for too long.

Koji dressed warmly and stepped outside his tent. Looking up, he saw no stars, but that had been true for the last three days. A soft breeze swept across the plains, but even that was cold enough to cut through the layers he wore.

Passing the night’s watch, Koji wandered off away from the camp. What he was about to do was easier if no one was around.

He found a place where the ground was slightly depressed, providing a slim protection from the wind. Koji didn’t necessarily seek comfort, but a little wouldn’t hurt. Satisfied, he sat down and crossed his legs. He started by focusing on his breath, breathing in deeply, exhaling half, breathing in deeply again, and repeating the process. The technique was one he had been taught when he was young. It helped warm the body during cold weather, working here as it always had for him.

Once his breathing was settled, Koji attempted to meditate, to relax deeper into the gift he’d been given at birth. In training, he had never been a strong meditator, preferring action and movement. His ability with the sense was adequate, but as a nightblade, it was his greatest weakness. There were others who could sense much farther than he, others who could sense details in action he never could.

But at River’s End, he had a revelation. The battle had started normally enough. He had killed the patrols as they had planned, but when he reached the center of the village, something had changed. He had fought at a level far beyond what he had thought he was capable of. Koji wasn’t one for false modesty. He knew he was an excellent sword, but he had never fought that well.

Since the battle, Koji had been trying to recover that feeling, to understand what had happened.

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