Of Blood and Fire (The Bound and the Broken, #1)

by Ryan Cahill

throwing up in the grass out back. He was a nervous wreck. Worried about failing. Do you know what I told him?” The air caught in Calen’s throat. “I told him that the sun will set, and it will rise again, and it will do so the next day and the next. The gods are in charge of such things, but it is by our own will that we pick ourselves up when we fall.

into a sombre tone. “But they have returned. That has not always been the case.” He raised his tankard in the air. “I ask you all to join me in a toast. To all the young men who have returned to us, and to those that never did. To the young men who have passed through The Proving, and to the young women who have nothing to prove.”

“Thank you, so much.” Calen wrapped his arms around Vars and pulled him into a hug, which he held for a few seconds. “There is no need to thank me, Calen. You have filled me with more pride than I ever thought possible. The man you have become is thanks enough.”

Calen stammered, struggling to pull the words from his throat. He hadn’t noticed his heart was racing

“You owe me nothing, little one. All that is given will be received, as sure as day begets night.”

with a slightly hooked nose. His light brown hair was

Farda believed that eyes were the measure of a man’s intent.

you must show them yours.” Calen found himself searching for something on the

The day we stop learning is the day we will be consumed by what we do not know.