The Silver Talon: Chronicles of the Rensu Guild: Book I (Chronicles of the Renasu Guild)

As the apprentice of a merchant, Arius travels throughout Farahdin, a kingdom ruled by the tyrannical king Contemno who answers dissenters with death--if they're lucky. In the midst of this atmosphere of tension, Arius vows to make a change, to somehow restore Farahdin to its former glory: a land where all could live peacefully under the watchful rule of a benevolent king without the fear of arbitrary execution.
 
Before long, he finds his opportunity. A young woman is led to the gallows by a squadron of King's Men, Contemno's elite force. Fueled by the legends of his childhood, Arius leaps into action in an effort to rescue her. But can he succeed?
 
His attempt will unearth secrets deeper than mere myth, truths about the land and about the king that will vault Arius into a race for his life--and the life of those dear to him. His journey will carry him into the realm of legend farther than he could have ever imagined. And as the stories of magic and dragons begin to unfold around him, he must quickly transform into something more than a simple merchant's apprentice--or risk getting left behind in his rapidly changing world.
 
With a small band of friends by his side, Arius must learn to navigate this new and dangerous realm of magic, legend, and betrayal, or something more sinister than Contemno may emerge to claim Farahdin as its own: for there is an evil in the land that is older and darker than the tyrant king. Will Arius be able to discover it and stop it in time, or will the kingdom fall to a fate even worse than Contemno?

A.J. Cunder was only sixteen-years-old when he began working on the first draft of The Silver Talon. His great love of fantasy worlds inspired him to craft his own so other readers like him could sit back, relax, and journey to a realm of magic, dragons, and unimaginable reality.
 
He loves anything to do with medieval times (especially sword fighting and knights) and gravitates towards books that incorporate such ideas into their plots. He has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and in his free time, he practices sword fighting with his friends to get a better idea of what his characters go through in their own battles.
 
He currently attends Seton Hall University and is one of sixty chosen from his grade to be a part of the University's Honors Program. After studying Italian for four years, he also considers himself semi-fluent in the language.
 
When not writing or studying for school, he is a volunteer firefighter with the Whippany Fire Department. He was also a sergeant with the Morris County Sheriff's Office Explorer Post 140.
 
Since the age of one-and-a-half, A.J. has lived with Type 1 diabetes. Proceeds from book sales will be used to help the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation find a cure for this life-long disease.
 
Finally, A.J. would like to thank everyone who supported him throughout his writing experience: "To all my family and friends, I appreciate your constant enthusiasm from the inception of the novel  all the way through. To my teachers, I value all of the critique and support you have given me--with The Silver Talon and as a student in your classroom. You have truly made my academic experience both enjoyable and informative. And lastly, I extend a warm thank you to all my readers, whose hearts and minds give Arius and Guardus a home. Without you, Farahdin is nothing more than a word on a page."