Justin Imaidegawa is an unparalleled swordsman, the latest descendant in a long line of bushido masters. So when a fellow warrior needs his help vanquishing a bully from their academy days, Justin is more than willing to step in.
Finding his noble quarry—and the bodyguard that nearly killed his friend—at an elegant party, Justin demands honor in the way of the Draconis Combine samurai…a sword duel. But he sees warring desires in his opponent, and suddenly Justin must choose between avenging the insult done to his friend, and possibly saving another warrior from going down a dark path from which there is no turning back…
Note: This free short story download is available between January 1–31, 2026, and contains an ebook file compatible with most ereaders, including Kindle.
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Another one of my short stories is free for the Month of January. It is called Honor of the Sword, and it's set several years before the events of In the Shadow of the Dragon. The main character is Justin Imaidegawa, along with several other supporting characters from that novel.
The idea of Kensei -- Sword Saint -- came later in the rewrite of Shadow, but once I included it, it fitted naturally into the story, as if it always meant to be there.
The title of Kensei is bestowed upon those who have attained a legendary high skill in swordsmanship.This may include a high level of moral strength and honor. Miyamoto Musashi, considered one of the greatest swordsmen in history, writer of the Book of Five Rings, was a real-life kensei.
In the Combine, such titles are bestowed by the Coordinator themselves, which allows the name warrior to wrote his own ticket -- Teach noble sons and the noble's retainers the sword, open their own school of swordsmanship, or hire themselves out as bodyguards to those who could afford their fees. Justin's great-grandfather was Jason Imaidegawa, from my short story, A Matter of Honor. Jason is adopted into the Imaidegawa family, and is taught by his adopted father the Path of the Sword. He faces challenges in the story that temper his soul, and leads him down the Path of the Sword. And it time, Jason becomes the kensei that all who follow must measure themselves against. Three of his students are themselves kensei shows Jason's strength and ability as a teacher.
The term, "Path of the Sword" worked its way into the story organically. The sword has a strong pull in the Combine, and to walk the path is a lifetime commitment. It is a mindset and a way of life, encompassing the mind, the body and the soul of the warrior. Discipline, strength of character and skill in the use of the sword tempers the warrior like a sword being tempered. In Honor, Justin is still rehabilitating by walking the Path of the Sword again. His sensei in this story is Hideyoshi Nishimura, also from Shadow, one of three Kensei that were trained by Justin's great-grandfather.
I plan to continue writing about the Imaidegawa family, both Jason and Justin. I did wrote a short story bridging the gap between the two generations, which should appear in a new product sometime soon. But for now, enjoy the free story from the Catalyst store: Honor of the Sword. You have until the end of the month.
And for those of you who missed the Specter of Winter, CGL has released a anthology of the free stories that appeared on the store in 2025. It's not free, but there are eight stories including mine, from some good writers; Get it here: Tales of the Inner Sphere
Hope to see you soon, with an update of the War of Reaving Trilogy!
Craig
