Assassin. Monk. Blade.

An assassin running from her own guild.

A monk sent to atone for the sins against his brotherhood.

An orphaned child with a magic too ancient to name.

Where the mountains break the continent in two, no humans have set foot for centuries, for nothing could settle in such a place but ancient magic and the creatures born from it.

Over these mountains, an assassin flees. With her, she has the last job set upon her by her guild: to transport a child safely across to the only family she has left. It cannot be too difficult, for the stories of the Wilds are greatly exaggerated, and one little girl cannot be too much trouble for someone more familiar with death than life. Yet the girl is not what was promised, for held within her angry eyes and the magic bindings about her wrists is something that may fit better within these wild lands so bent on killing them.

As the mountains swallow them up, the assassin knows she and the girl are being followed, but it is more than one set of footsteps. One, she expects—her death following her even into the faraway kingdoms.

The other, an old ghost from her childhood, with his own motivations not only for her, but for the child she will protect with her life.

Assassin Monk Blade is a dark yet cozy novella for readers of fantasy and found family who want a story of friendship and forging trust, with a subtle dose of gentle romance.