‘I’ve traded my old enemies for just this one…’ The axe thundered home. ‘I miss the old ones.’ Every man has a past, none more so than Draven Reinhardt. Abandoning his old life to settle down as a villager, he struggles to fit in, let alone hold down a job. When opportunity offers the much needed coin, Draven is torn between a promise and a purpose. But, what’s one last job if you’ve already got blood on your hands? ‘From Man to Man’ is the story of how one man can change – or not – for the best. Prequel to the upcoming novel ‘It Began With Ashes’, the short (6400 words) introduces the reader to a world of suspense, intrigue, and action.

Peace in Wroge came at a price. The cost? War. Wroge was divided by the Saive War. The Arneuton kingdom enslaved the Keltir clans into their invasion, and swept across the territory, converting and conscripting the weak, culling the strong. Five Years of war, the blood of four races, millions of deaths. The Arneut conquered. The Keltir were released from their imprisonment, but the Vikir and Narz were forever banished from Wroge's borders. Draven fought for peace. He fought another man's war and paid for his freedom in blood. But even peace comes with its price. Taxes to another man's king. Draven's fight might have ended with the Saive War, but the struggle to afford safety for his family is far from over. When the Vikir threaten Wroge's northern border they come with a debt of their own. And it's not taxes they're after. They come because of the Keltir's betrayal in the Saive War. They come from blood. But Wroge's fate won't be decided by ageing warriors and old grudges. The lives of four young men, divided by peace, united by conflict, will shape the future of the war torn land. 'It Began With Ashes' is the story of how life's greatest struggle is to accept who you are - a tale of broken promises, bitter grudges, and brotherhoods bound in blood.