by Matthew Wolf
Seth – A Ronin, also called the Firebrand. Seth’s element is fire, and his home is the Great Kingdom of the Citadel, a dark keep whose fires light the night sky. Seth is known for his fiery temper, and proud spirit.
Sevian Wine – A famous dark wine from the city of Sevia.
Shifting – A Ronin’s rumored ability to transport great lengths of space in a short amount of time.
Shining City – The great city in the mountains. It is a part of a massive kingdom, and the last remnant of the Kingdom of Ice.
Shiroku Palace – The palace of the Shining City, and home of King Katsu.
Silveroot – A tree of both Farhaven and Daerval. Within Farhaven it is described as having veins of glowing silver that flow visibly beneath its bark, and bark that glows like fish’s scaled bellies. Within Daerval, where there is no magic, it is simply a large evergreen, producing nut-sized fruits.
Silvias River – A magnificent river that flows south and divides much of Daerval.
Spark – The magic that all but the Ronin wield, including Reavers, Neophytes and Arbiters, and the majority of Farhaven’s magical beings. It is said to be derived from the Flow.
Speech of Acceptance – A speech a young man gives to a girl’s father to ask for her hand in marriage.
Spire – The highest building of Eldas where the council, king, queen and their family reside.
Sprites – Magical beings that have no form.
Star of Magha – A famous insignia that symbolizes the eight recognized kingdoms.
Stice – Aurelious’ famed sword.
Taer – a land within Farhaven.
Tales of the Great Schism – Stories about the end of the Lieon and the Devari’s split from old alliances to new ones, including their origin in the Citadel.
Tales of the Ronin – One of most famous books about the infamous deeds of the Ronin.
Tanglevine – A thorny root of the Lost Woods.
Temian – An elf with long golden hair, and strange golden eyes. Gray befriends the elf in the encampment beyond the Gates at the border of the woods.
The Battle of Gal, Letters of a General – Several reports from the famous general Fendary who allegedly fought against the Ronin.
The Great Kingdoms – The legendary cities. There were nine. Stone, Ice, Leaf, Fire, Flesh, Moon, Sun, Metal, and Wind. Each kingdom was the home of one of the Ronin, and coincides with their powers.
The Green Tavern – The tavern Maris’ reminisces about that used to thrive in Lakewood.
The Last Reliquaries of Tremwar – An account of the stories of the last King of Devari.
The Lost Covenant – A book that Ayva reads. In it, she uncovers truths about the Ronin and the Keeper of the Silver.
The Lost Road – The road to the forgotten kingdom of the Shining City.
The Red Moon – A mythical event that is said to coincide with “The Return” of the Ronin.
The Return – The fated return of the Ronin; an event the world fears. It is said they will finish the destruction of the lands they were rumored to nearly destroy during the Lieon.
The Rift – A rumored chasm where the world split thousands of years ago, before the Lieon and the Ronin even existed.
The Seven Trials – The trials that a Neophyte must pass to become a Reaver.
The Sodden Tunnels – The tunnels that lead out of the Shining City; a dark and dismal place with no light, full of thousands of misleading paths. At one point, Mura says darkness called his name within the Tunnels. Karil also refers to them as the “Endless Tunnels”.
The Terma – Elite elvin warriors, the second highest in rank and skill in the armies of Eldas.
The Wasteland – A vile land where vergs and saeroks are rumored to be born. It is east of the Lost Woods.
Tir Re’ Dol – Often called The First City. Appropriately named as it was the first city to rise from the ashes of the Lieon, and soon became the capital of Daerval for millennia.
It was said to hold the most magnificent of libraries called the First Library, which held books since before the First Age. The Library was made purely of glass shining like a prism so when the rising sun hit its zenith, the inside shone a thousand colors.
Transporter – A device that transports its wielder to a specific place by use of magic. They are hidden around the Citadel. Ren says they were created by a hundred Reavers working as one through the use of a “link.”
Trimming the Stalks – A move that uses the rotation of the upper body and shoulders to lash at lower extremities, arms and sword moving in a figure-eight fashion.
Yen Tree – A tree with thin, willowy branches.
Yimar Plains – The flat plains beyond Koru Village on the way to the Shining City.
Yorin – The old human tongue for all of Farhaven.
Yronia – Great Kingdom of Metal backed against the deep mines, a land of steam and molten metal, and known for their gleaming steel and unbreakable walls of iron. Baro’s homeland, and contains the Great Forge.
Vaster – The Great Kingdom of the rising Sun, named for the shining keeps that gleam like alabaster jewels, always in the dawn’s light. Omni’s homeland.
Vera – A woman, originally from the Citadel and connected to Kirin. She is beautiful, but equally dark and would gladly use her looks as a tool to gain even more power.
Vergs – Brutish, behemoth like creatures born from the taint that are said to be intelligent.
Author Biography
Matthew Wolf was born on March 14, 1986 in San Diego, California. He graduated from UC Santa Barbara as a literature major with a specialization in medieval studies and Japanese. Throughout college, he studied Old English and Japanese extensively, both of which are strongly tied to the languages of the book. He has also traveled considerably, from Switzerland and Scotland to Bonaire, and these sights inspire much of the land of Daerval.
Aside from the book (which is his main passion), he is also a Kung Fu instructor. His hobbies include woodcraft, archery, and of course, writing. He has several works of poetry published with Leafnotes in June 2010, a UCSB publication. And as of Spring 2013, The Knife’s Edge is available to readers worldwide. Matt Wolf is currently building the brand of the Ronin Saga, giving rousing speeches, and encouraging others on the exciting path of writing.
Table of Contents
Copyright
THE KNIFE’S EDGE
The Return
The Seven Trials
The Neophyte Palace
A Night to Remember
An Arbiter’s Gift
Awakening
Kail’s Tree
A Hymn to an Ancient Forest
A Sight to Behold
Renmai
A Rising Wind
The Harrowing Gale
The Spire
The Shadow’s Hand
A Journey Forward
Legends
Strange Paths
The Hawk
The Gathering Dark
A Fire Lit Within
Kirin
A Festival
Lakewood
The Courtyard
A Vision of Death
The Great Hall
A Rogue’s Luck
Nameless
Into the Darkness
Arrival
The Kage
Fire and Chaos
Koru Village
A Clash of Heroes
A Decision
Burning Memories
Sacrifice
The Lost Road
The Nexus
A Fated Man
A Figure in the Snow
The Golden Walkway
Threads
The Shining City
Spellbound
The Stonemason
The Dipping Tsugi
The Keeper of the Silver
The Shiroku Palace
An Image in Fire
A Hallway of Gold
The Sodden Tunnels
Dark Deeds
&nb
sp; A Dark Way
Fox-like
A Deserted Night
First Light
The Endless Tunnels
The Cliff’s Edge
Blue Skies
Gate’s Edge
Power of Truth
Ezrah
Motes of Gold
Made for a King
Acknowledgements
Glossary
Author Biography