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Prologue

Near Punggur Besar, Batam Island, Indonesia

Auto his ar But a sense he couldn’t explain told him to expect his opponent’s attack

Counterpunch His opponent’s head snapped backward No ain, rhythmically

Thefrom Wilipo for only a fewwith expertise, adopting the techniques easily

His opponent, Ravi, attacked yet again Falco ducked and spun to avoid the hit His right leg ached with the effort, but he ignored it It always ached where the bone had broken

Frorunted The sound

Wilipo spoke no English and Falco had learned but a handful of words in Bahasa since beco a student of the sole martial artstraining sessions consisted of nods and gestures A blessing, considering Falco had little to say

The stench of old fish rent the air, ent today with the heat Gazes locked, Falco and Ravi circled each other The youngerpartner a week ago after he’d run out of opponents in his own village The locals whispered about him and he didn’t need to speak Bahasa to understand they feared him

He wanted to tell thee Westerner in an Asian village full of sierous fists

Nearly four seasons ago, a fisher in the water, unconscious, with horrific injuries At least that hat he’d pieced together frolish

He should have died before he’d washed ashore in Indonesia and he certainly should have died at so the six-month coma his body had required to heal

But he’d lived

And when he finally awoke, it was to a nightmare of physical rehabilitation and confusion HisInsubstantial Incomplete He was the ry and lost

The only clue to his identity lay inked across his left pectoral muscle—a fierce, bold falcon tattoo with a scarlet banner clutched in his talons, emblazoned with the word Falco That hat his saviors called hih it chafed to be addressed as such

Why? It must be a part of his identity But when he pushed his me and a blinding headache Every waking moent soul-deep cry to discover why he’d been snatched from the teeth of a cruel death Surely he’d lived for a reason Surely he’d re critical to set him on the path toho he was Every day thus far had ended in disappointment