Chronicles of the Cursed Sword, Book 1

Rey Yan and his sister Syao Lin are orphans who depend entirely on one another. Together they take up the task of guarding a king who refuses to meet violence with violence, a gentle ruler whose death has been ordered by more than one enemy. Some of the people hunting him are ordinary human killers, while others are not human at all, and the siblings must face both kinds of threat. Their bond and their loyalty to the king are tested as the danger grows.