As Iris and Monk struggle to survive the shadow of a religious war, they are pushed together to become ‘the Double Blade’.
Iris wins a duel against Monk and wins a place in his heart. As this truth dawns on him, Monk’s life as a griss knight in the human city of Ysant falls apart.
He leaves to follow Iris into their homeland, the Marble Empire, as she acts as interpreter for a fish merchant. But then Iris’s resolve is hanging by a thread, just like Monk's career.
As the two of them turn to each other and to their Creator for help, an impending religious war conspires to destroy them.
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A fantasy romance for a younger audience: Abridged selection of chapters. For a look at the entire first section, "The Sound of Snowfall", please see my other book entry. Note: the Griss are a race of tiger-like people.
Unabridged version = 114 chapters, in 5 thematic sections, +240k words, incomplete.