Published: September 5th, 2018
Jonmarc Vahanian fled from the raiders and monsters that killed his family, but when danger dogs his steps once again, he leaves the traveling caravan that gave him shelter to become a mercenary in nearby Principality. His fighting skills help him rise through the ranks, and draw the attention of a Nargi general—and the general’s undead mage. An old, unsettled score turns deadly, trapping Jonmarc in dangerous intrigue. He can save himself—and betray everything he holds dear—or die a hero as the raider’s curse holds true.
This collection is the second set of short stories and novellas that reveal another phase of Jonmarc’s growth from a blacksmith’s son to becoming one of the greatest warriors in the history of the Winter Kingdoms.
Soldier. Fight slave. Smuggler. Warrior. Brigand Lord. You may have encountered Jonmarc Vahanian in the Chronicles of the Necromancer but you don’t really know him until you walk in his footsteps.
EXCERPT
Bad Blood
Sure enough, Peters insisted that the small caravan camp for the night on a field just inside the border of Lord Nemic’s lands.
“It’s still early,” Harrtuck argued. “We could travel another hour, be that much closer to the manor, and arrive before noon.”
“It will do no good for us to arrive exhausted,” Peters sniffed. “We are performers. We must be sufficiently rested. Lord Eston’s orders were clear. We are to provide an excellent performance for Lord Nemic, as befits a gift of this magnitude. We will not drag in like peddlers, half-asleep and unable to give our best showing.”
“We were hired to defend you,” Harrtuck snapped. “And as your guards, I need to warn you that this position is once again too close to the trees and difficult to defend.”
“Deal with it,” Peters replied, eyes narrowing. “We are camping here.”
This time, Harrtuck did not attempt to hide his muttered curses as he stalked away. “Either that man is incredibly stupid, or he wants to be attacked,” he mumbled to Jonmarc when he had returned to where the rest of the War Dogs waited with their horses.
Jonmarc raised an eyebrow. “I’m not questioning his stupidity, but maybe he does want to be attacked—there’s something about this whole thing we don’t know, a piece we’re missing.”
Harrtuck nodded. “Aye. But I can’t figure out what it is.”
About the author:
Gail Z. Martin writes epic fantasy, urban fantasy and steampunk for Solaris Books, Orbit Books, Falstaff Books, SOL Publishing and Darkwind Press. Vengeance is the second in the new Darkhurst epic fantasy series. Also new is The Dark Road, the second in the Jonmarc Vahanian Adventures series, and Assassin’s Honor (coming, October 2018), the first in the new Assassins of Landria series.
Her Deadly Curiosities urban fantasy series set in Charleston, SC has a new novel, Tangled Web, and two new collections, Trifles & Folly, and Trifles & Folly 2.
Other work includes the Chronicles Of The Necromancer series, the Fallen Kings Cycle, the Ascendant Kingdoms series, and the alternate history novel Iron & Blood and the Storm & Fury collection (co-authored with Larry N. Martin) She is also the co-author (with Larry) of the Mark Wojcik monster hunter series (Spells, Salt and Steel) and the upcoming Wasteland Marshals series and the Cauldron/Secret Council series from Falstaff Books.
As Morgan Brice, she writes urban fantasy MM paranormal romance. New and upcoming books include Witchbane, Burn, Dark Rivers, Badlands, and Lucky Town.
She is also the organizer of the #HoldOnToTheLight campaign www.HoldOnToTheLight.com. Join her email update and never miss a new release—plus get great free stories just for signing up!
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5 comments:
Thank you so much for having me as a guest!
Sounds really great.
Cool cover.
Fierce looking characters
This book sounds like an awesome read.
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