Showing results by author "Ryan Kirk" in All Categories

Two cycles have passed since Ryuu lost his adopted father, and he dares to hope that he's found peace at last. But nightblades live by the sword, and when a new breed of warrior threatens the Southern Kingdom, Ryuu and Moriko are pulled to opposite edges of the known world to uncover mysteries that have lain dormant for hundreds of cycles.

Teaming up with New York Times best-selling author Jeffery Deaver, Suspense Magazine offers up a nail-biting anthology titled Nothing Good Happens After Midnight. This thrilling collection consists of 13 original short stories representing the genres of suspense/thriller, mystery, sci-fi/fantasy, and more.

A quiet child, Moriko is forced into a monastic system she despises. Torn from her family and the forest she grew up in, she must fight to learn the skills she'll need to survive her tutelage under the realm's most dangerous assassin. Young, beautiful, and broke, Takako is sold to pay for her father's debts. Thrust into a world she doesn't understand and battles she didn't ask for, she must decide where her loyalties lie. When their lives crash together in a kingdom on the brink of war, the decisions they make will change both their lives and their kingdom forever.

In the midst of the chaos, the actions and choices of a select few will shape the future of the land. Akira prepares to give up his Lordship. Ryuu wanders the Southern Kingdom, searching for a reason to fight. Moriko sits quietly, biding her time before she leaves the Three Kingdoms for good. Finally, across the Three Sisters, Nameless fight to keep his fragile alliance of clans together.

A new threat has risen. For years, peace has reigned within the boundaries of the empire. Monks, gifted with extraordinary powers, wander the land, keeping order by any means necessary. Their gifts make them invincible, or so most believe. A lone warrior disagrees. Guided by a shadowy organization, Fang seeks to break the monasteries. Once left for dead by powerful monks, revenge has driven him to unimaginable strength. Only one obstacle stands in his way.

The bestselling fantasy trilogy, now available in one volume! His choices will save the land... or destroy it. Ryuu is a boy orphaned by violence at a young age. Found by a wandering warrior, he learns he may have more strength than he ever imagined possible. A quiet child, Moriko is forced into a monastic system she despises. Torn from her family and the forest she grew up in, she must fight to learn the skills she’ll need to survive her tutelage under the realm’s most dangerous assassin. Young, beautiful, and broke, Takako is sold to pay for her father’s debts.

Those who rise, must fall. Ever since Radyn was young, he’s dreamed of becoming one of the clan, an elite Sword or Dagger tasked with the protection of Firestone, his city. But when a violent raid steals all that he holds dear, he swears a new oath: One day he will become the strongest Sword in Firestone. As Radyn pursues his dream, he comes to realize his city is in tremendous danger. Enemies amass both within and without, and the city is closer to falling than anyone knows. The balance of power is shifting across the world, and Radyn and his allies are caught in the middle.

In a feudal land, a Kingdom is at risk. With no heir to the fragile throne, its future rests with the powerful members of the dying king's Council, including Minori, a nightblade warrior, and Kiyoshi, a dayblade healer. The two men are bound by the sword but divided by two opposing principles: rule the land, or serve it. In their challenge for supremacy, a spark has been lit. Her name is Asa. Her creed is revenge.

With the realm on the brink of war, the once-celebrated blades have become an easy target for the rage of its devastated citizens. The nightblade warrior Asa's lifelong quest for vengeance is over, but now she finds herself on the run from the people she sought to protect. As Asa forges a new course of action in an uncertain world, her path crosses with that of a young noblewoman.

Tev is a hunter, one of the best in his clan. Trained since birth in the art of tracking and killing, Tev has never met a challenge he couldn't overcome. But when a mysterious fireball falls from the sky, Tev will question everything he has ever known. For the first time in his life, he isn't the one doing the hunting. He is the prey.

As one of the empire's most skilled soldiers, Brandt is no stranger to combat. After he and his fellow wolfblades fight a merciless warrior armed with impossible magic, Brandt is left shattered. Searching for answers, Brandt stumbles upon a secret war, fought by a very few, that threatens the land he calls home.

The Kingdom is at war, and the blades face extinction. Exhausted and dispirited, Asa wants only to put the conflicts of the past behind her. But with her home burned to the ground and her people hunted in nearly every corner of the Kingdom, there is no escape. Unlike Koji, who has wholeheartedly pledged his sword to Lady Mari, Asa isn’t sure she believes in the future. High in the mountains, Lady Mari fights against the currents of history. She plays a dangerous political game, trying to save not just her house lands, but the whole Kingdom.

Laran is a sumar, one of the select warriors who wander the wild to protect the citizens hiding behind their impenetrable walls. He's more at home among the trees and the stars, but when he stumbles upon a new breed of demon, cleverer than any he's fought before, he'll need to learn how to trust the very humans he so despises.

Their worst fears have come to pass. With their party torn asunder, both Brandt and Alena must find their own way forward. Their journeys will take them both to the heart of their empire and to the farthest known boundaries of their world. As they race to find answers, a threat, stronger than any they've faced before, approaches their world. And it means to kill them all.

There are no victors in the battle between honor and duty. High in the mountains, a monastery falls to a powerful attack. On the other side of the continent, a gate begins to fail, threatening an entire people. From across the oceans, an enemy of legendary ability approaches. In the face of cataclysm, Brandt seeks the key to fighting the Lolani queen. He is one of the few who knows firsthand the danger this new enemy represents. But how far will he go to save his empire and those he loves?

As an empire falls, heroes will rise. High in the mountains, Lei watches the empire crumble as he maintains his self-imposed exile. Torn between fighting for the empire once again and living peacefully with the woman he loves, Lei faces the most difficult decision of his life. Like Lei, Bai senses a crossroads approaching. After a decade of fighting, little has changed. The monks hunt her, and she cannot run forever. On the other side of the empire, Delun seeks guidance from his master. His memories are soaked with the blood of friend and foe alike.

When Bai, a young seamstress, wakes up unharmed in the middle of a disaster, her life is destroyed. She has no memory of the event that destroyed her town, but the survivors believe she is to blame. On a quest to prove her innocence, she discovers a secret that threatens not just her life but the entire empire. On the other side of the empire, a monk named Delun ruthlessly hunts those who seek to destroy the monasteries he calls home. When he stumbles upon a plot that threatens all that he is sworn to protect, he must choose between his two masters: the monasteries and the empire.

A new threat has risen. For years, peace has reigned within the boundaries of the empire. Monks, gifted with extraordinary powers, wander the land, keeping order by any means necessary. Their gifts make them invincible, or so most believe. A lone warrior disagrees. Guided by a shadowy organization, Fang seeks to break the monasteries. Once left for dead by powerful monks, revenge has driven him to unimaginable strength. Only one obstacle stands in his way. His name is Lei, and he is no hero.

Tev is a hunter, raised from birth to protect and feed his clan. Among his people, his skills are unmatched. With a spear and knife in hand, he has never failed. He longs to explore the world beyond the boundaries of his hunting grounds, not knowing the cost that wish will have. His life, and the lives of every member of his clan, are shattered when fire descends from the sky, bringing with it dangers far beyond any that existed before. Tev's hard-won skills are all that separate his clan from complete annihilation.

An invasion is coming. As Tev returns to a world that has moved on without him, he searches for a way forward that honors his upbringing and protects his people. Torn between tradition and the future, the decisions he makes will shape the fate of his people. Far from home, years away from any help or support, Kindra must also decide her path and the sacrifices she is willing to make. Together they will face a threat more dangerous than any Tev or his people have ever encountered. The destiny of an entire people hangs in the balance.