Dawn of the Black Sun (The Silver Empire series Book 1) by Timo Burnham
Book Excerpt:
Ryu stared, openmouthed, trying to understand what he was seeing.
“Stop running at him like drunks,” the scarred man said. “He’s one man. Attack together!”
The bandits pulled themselves to their feet and began to spread out until they had fully encircled their opponent.
The old man did not run or even try to reposition at all. He just stood there, head bowed, looking as peaceful as the moment he had arrived.
“Now,” the scarred man said. “As one.”
Ryu braced for the inevitable, unable to look away as five men closed on their prey, brandishing swords and knives. There was no more dancing around the attacks. The old traveler was trapped.
Then, as Ryu watched him, the stranger seemed to change. First, he straightened and lifted his head up to show his face—a face that looked far younger than Ryu had expected. Next, he seemed to grow, both in height and in the width of his shoulders.
Ryu blinked, wondering if the shadows of the forest or the baggy robe were playing tricks on him. There was no time to figure out which it was, because the bandits attacked.
One holding Jinon’s sword went for a backstab, but the man seemed to know it was coming, twisting to avoid the weapon and delivering a counter punch that lifted the bandit off his feet before dropping him on his back. A knife appeared, stabbing straight at the stranger’s eye, but he caught the wrist that held it, throwing the bandit through the air like he was a child. Hands grabbed at the long robe, trying to pull him down, but the stranger spun, extracting himself from the clothing.
Under the robe, the stranger was wearing a simple vest, showing off thick shoulders and muscled arms. He turned so that Ryu caught his gaze for an instant. Where the iris and pupils should have been was only glowing jade light.