The Assassins of Consequence (The Thorn of Maradaine, Book 4) by Marshall Ryan Maresca

 

Release date: March 29, 2022

Subgenre: Epic Fantasy, Adventure Fantasy

 

 

About The Assassins of Consequence:

 

The autumn semester at the University of Maradaine is underway, and Veranix Calbert is doing his best to balance the new responsibilities of being a fourth-year magic student under the militant Altarn Initiatives, while still acting as The Thorn, the street vigilante deep in a personal war against the drug kingpin Willem Fenmere. With the help of his friends Kaiana, Delmin, and Mila, he’s been able to strike real blows against Fenmere’s empire.

But Veranix’s fight has earned him more enemies than just Fenmere, including the mad alchemist Cuse Jensett, the imposters Erno Don and Enzin Hence, and the Deadly Birds Magpie and Jackdaw. These five killers join forces to escape Quarrygate Prison and offer an alliance to Fenmere, bringing with them the perfect leverage to seal the deal: the Thorn’s identity.

Once Fenmere knows who Veranix is, he doesn’t just want to kill him, but to utterly shatter him. Calling on everyone in Maradaine holding a grudge against the Thorn, he unleashes a brutal hunt against Veranix. With old and new enemies all looking to claim the bounty on his head, stripped of the security of his secret identity, Veranix faces the most brutal fight of his all too-short life.

 

Excerpt:

 

 “Who . . . who is the guy?” Nix asked.

“Pay them no rutting mind,” Holder said.

“No way, Holder,” Nags said. “We gots to tell him about the Thorn.”

“The who?”

“It’s . . .” Holder swore under his breath. “It’s just there’s a guy out there who’ll slap around dealers. Be aware of him.”

“Aware how?”

“Eyes up, you know. Be safe out there. Burt will have your back.”

“Not ’gainst the Thorn,” Burt said.

“Burt’s heard the stories,” Kam said.

“Yeah,” Burt said, taking a pipe out of his coat pocket. “I heard.”

“What stories?” Nix asked. He looked around nervously. “What is this guy?”

“He’s magic,” Nags said. “Got a rope like steel, they say.”

“Heard he tied up Miss Jads and left her in a water tower all night.” Kam chuckled drily. “You hear about that, hoss?”

“Enough,” Holder said. “Let’s just—”

Nags’s smile went as wide as the Maradaine River itself. “Oh, you know whatta I hear? I hear, couple moon back, dere was a whole row over in Seleth like? But not like just bar blokes having a tussle, no. A real ruckus, with monsters coming out of the ground.”

“What?” Nix asked. He looked incredulous at this.

“Monsters, sasa. Skin like leather, ten feet tall, hands like a bear’s claw. Tearing through the joint, except the Thorn, hesa fightin’ them. Knocking the monsters back down.”

“No.”

“I heard,” Burt said real quiet, “that in that fight, there was a guy who magicked himself into a giant winged snake, breathing fire. And this here Thorn, he jumped on top of it, wrapped his rope around its neck, and dragged it down to the ground.” That was the most words Holder had ever heard out of Burt in one go.

“He kill it?” Nix asked.

Burt shrugged. “I just hear things.”

“And this guy, he knocks down dealers like us?”

“Boy already saying like us,” Kam said.

“Listen,” Holder said, going over to one of the crates. “You just do your job, and you’ll get paid. Try to keep a low profile, and you’ll be fine.”

“Right,” Nix said. “So, where’s the stuff to sell?”

“Burt?” Holder said. “Give him a bit to start.”

Burt opened up a panel in the wall, and dragged out the trunk. He opened it up and got out a couple vials of efhân and brought it over to Nix.

“You sell that, you come back with eight crowns, and you get to walk out of here with half a crown in your pocket.”

“And if I don’t?” Nix asked.

“Then you don’t walk,” Burt said, looming over the kid.

“Huh,” Nix said, looking at the vials in his hand. “You know, I think I heard a story about this Thorn fellow you’re on about.”

“Oh?” Holder asked.

“I hear,” Nix said, a slight grin appearing on his face, “that he is really good at disguising himself.”

“You—” Holder realized a moment too late. Nix’s whole body blurred as he threw the vials in Burt’s face, and suddenly he was wearing a flowing red cloak and hood, his face hidden in shadow, and he was holding a quarterstaff. 

Holder grabbed a crossbow off his desk. “Get him!”

 

Amazon | B&N | Google Play

 

About Marshall Ryan Maresca:

Marshall Ryan Maresca is a fantasy and science-fiction writer, author of the Maradaine Saga: Four braided series set amid the bustling streets and crime-ridden districts of the exotic city called Maradaine, which includes The Thorn of Dentonhill, A Murder of Mages, The Holver Alley Crew and The Way of the Shield, as well as the dieselpunk fantasy, The Velocity of Revolution. He is also the co-host of the Hugo-nominated, Stabby-winning podcast Worldbuilding for Masochists, and has been a playwright, an actor, a delivery driver and an amateur chef. He lives in Austin, Texas with his family.

 

Website | Podcast | Twitter | Instagram