The chief concern of the Just is the well being of the many; of least concern is himself
One who is Just shall harm no one, unless the lives of other are at stake
One who is Just shall help all those who require his aid, even his greatest foe
The values of the Just are Honor, Loyalty, Valor, Discipline, Faith and Humility
One who is Just shall judge not through words, but deeds
One who is Just shall give his life before violating a vow of honor
One who is just must always allow for the possibility that he is wrong
Absolution
For Alexis Dardanus, life’s never been easy. Her father is the Chief of Security for the Dove Caste, and has a dozen rules(at least) for every situation. To the chagrin of her mother, Alexis answers this challenge by flaunting the authority of her parents and the Caste itself at every chance she gets. While the rest of the Caste wonders if she’ll ever live up to her father’s name, she longs for a life where it doesn’t matter.
For Dante Ansara, he’s coping to life without his dear sister by his side. He’s been taken in by a new family, the Red Dragon Caste, where he has become the prize student of General Toshiro. Yet this stoic, honorable warrior has his doubts about their cause, and the often violent methods they’re willing to use to protect all Emejre.
For both, it’s about to get a lot harder.
An unexpected assault leaves the Dove Caste in chaos, and the Red Dragons are the chief suspect. Peace hangs by a thread and it’s up to these two unlikely allies to find the truth. If they succeed, they might draw the fractured Castes closer together. At stake if they fail? An all out war that might eventually see even the humans involved. But their journey for answers will take them into the dark underworld of Emejre society, where lives are commodities up for negotiation and who will stop at nothing to maintain their way of life..
Their quest will test their newfound friendship, undercover hidden truths about the birth of the Castes, and eventually bring them face to face with the most feared contract killer the Emejre have ever know.
Chapter Three – Coming January 31st
Short Stories
The Airplane – The first Path of the Just story to be published, a young Emejre girl named Alera dreams of owning the latest toy airplane and making friends, and has no idea about the harsh realities of the outside world.
Whose Woods These Are – A newer story written for Christmas, introducing Subject RD-01, who will eventually become a major character in the stories at they go forward.
Carnivorous Habits (on hiatus, to continue after Absolution!)
Owen Matthias and Aeneas van Barkarne are a pair of small time players in the Emejre Reservation, struggling to make a living on small cons and minors jobs. When they get an opportunity to join in on one of the biggest heists ever attempted, they jump at the chance. But there’s more to this job than they suspect, and they want to keep themselves from taking the fall, they’ll have to figure who put the job together… and the true nature of the object they conspired to steal.
S. Daniel McPhail 