The Assassin's Apprentice

Ryu was the last person anyone ever expected to live through the Hallowing. When he did, his Cast was black and unmarked, bearing little resemblance to anything worth hoping for. It looked like a street urchin's or a corpse's. Small, ill-mannered, and an orphan, he is given the task of taking care of old Neal Graves, the dying, crazy librarian. But there is more to Neal than meets the eye.