Excerpt: The Yamato Cycle: Shadow of the Dead City

"What good are oaths from dead men?" Asked Daiyu, the blade of his spear glinting in the fast-fading sun. Have you ever been outside of the Capital Gates after nightfall? You cannot fathom the horrors that roam in the Wilds at the edge of the Empire. I have seen what they do to men that stray to far from the roads and heed not the words of the wise."