Blood for the City (The Kael Brightsun Chronicles)

By Zackery Arbela

Kael has crossed mountains, slain warlords, and survived siege and exile-but the road to rescuing his beloved Thyra leads somewhere far more dangerous than battlefields.

In the southern city of Velthren, honor is not won with steel alone. To help his friend pull his family back from the brink of ruin, Kael is bound by oath and circumstance to fight in the city's sacred games-not as a soldier, but as a spectacle. Thrust into the arena as a glathar, Kael must learn a new kind of combat, where blood is spilled for entertainment, victory brings glory before the eyes of the city, and survival depends as much on performance as strength.

As the games draw nearer, Kael discovers that Velthren is a city built on bargains, reputation, and quiet cruelty. While Zarither works the shifting politics of the Council and the Black Spear Compact, Kael begins to understand the power of words, laws, and knowledge-tools as sharp as any blade. Each fight brings him glory, each victory raises the stakes, and each cheer binds him tighter to a world he does not trust.

But Thyra is alive-and her trail runs through the same networks that profit from Kael's blood.

To reach her, he must win the games, satisfy the gods, and survive the ambitions of men who see him as both weapon and wager. The only way forward is through the arena-and through a trial that will leave no part of him unchanged.

Because in Velthren, nothing is ever given. It is earned-before a hundred thousand watching eyes.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0GNMKTKSH
• ISBN13: 9798248524556
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 133 Pages
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 0.3" x 5.0"