When history is a lie, how can you know who to die for?This is the third episode in the first season of Born to the Blade, an eleven-episode serial from Serial Box. This episode is written by Cassandra Khaw.In the Warder's Circle of Twaa-Fei, the truth is a game, and nothing can be taken at face value. Not even friendship. Warder Ojo Kante and aspiring warder Kris Denn strike an alliance that surprises them both with its swiftness and magnitude, while Ojo's gregarious nephew Adechike plies a bond with the young Kris. Junior Warder Bellona Avitus is trying to emerge from the shadow of her cruel superior, the Mertikan empire's Warder Lavinia Junius, by throwing a baby shower for Warder Penelope Krykos. Penelope, a fierce battlemistress, has little interest in the gaudy affair, but she too will seek advantage where it is offered. And Lavinia's junior, Cassia, welcomes home her exuberantly boastful lover, Anton, another quick friend for Kris. Meanwhile, the Warders and their juniors are all furiously working schemes, and Oda no Michiko is feeling more torn than ever between her imperial duty and the demands of her ancestor, the Golden Lord, slain by Lavinia's own hand.Youth and ambition cannot shield you from the storm. Oda no Michiko and Kris Denn have arrived to take their places on the Warder’s Circle of Twaa-Fei, where the warders are entrusted to settle disputes and avoid war among the nations of the sky. Some conflicts are resolved with diplomacy, some with duels of blade and magic. Michiko and Kris are young bladecrafters eager to prove themselves worthy — Michiko as junior warder for her home of Kakute, Kris as a challenger to earn a place for their home of Rumika on the Circle. But before they have even settled in, a power struggle erupts, a man's head is parted from his shoulders, and every good thing Michiko thinks she knows about the empire comes into question. A storm is coming, and Kris and Michiko stand at its eye. Will it bind the nations of the sky together... or tear them apart?What did you think of the episode? Let us know in the comments or leave us a review on Goodreads.
