Grievar's Blood

Grievar's Blood is the second novel in Alexander Darwin's Combat Codes Saga, a martial-arts-driven science fantasy set in a world where combat in the Circles decides the fate of nations. Picking up after Cego's arrival at the elite Lyceum combat school, the book follows his second year of training as he pursues the truth about his origins and his missing brothers, while the ruling Daimyo continue to manipulate the fighters who serve them.

Where the first book kept its focus tightly on Cego, Grievar's Blood expands into multiple perspectives, adding Solara Halberd and Silas the Slayer, whose backstory reframes much of the series' conflict. The result is a wider, more political story about servitude, enhancement, and rebellion beneath the surface of a sport-like fighting culture.

With detailed, grounded fight choreography drawn from real grappling and MMA, the novel blends coming-of-age school drama with darker themes.