As Iron Falls

Book excerpt: The High Citadel cannot be seen to harbor a killer. This is a simple truth, and one that Raz i'Syul Arro has little choice but to respect. As the winter storms fall away in favor of the North's pleasant summer months, Raz finds himself having once more to face the cruelties of the world with spear and sword in hand. For the first time, though, the Monster no longer walks his path alone. Syrah Brahnt, Priestess of Laor and adopted daughter of the former High Priest of Cyurgi 'Di himself, has joined him on his journey. Leaving all that might have been behind, they set out together in search of new lives, always striving to stay ahead of the ever-looming shadows of old enemies that hound their every step. Raz's legend, though, has spread too far. After vanquishing the great Kayle of the Northern tribes, his names have begun to echo across the realms: Monster of Karth, Scourge of the South, Dragon of the North. It isn't long before they are forced to draw on magic and steel to save themselves from the blades that seek them in the night, leaving them with little choice but to abandon everything they've ever known in favor of a perilous land neither would have every thought to seek. Meanwhile, waiting for them among the grasslands beyond those strange shores, a man whispers in his sleep, his iron shackles shaking as he trembles and repeats the same prophetic words over and over again. "By sand, then snow, then sea, the Dragon comes."