Sellsword’s Oath
by Gail Z. Martin
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GENRE: Fantasy
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BLURB:
Buddy flick epic fantasy! The second in the Assassins of Landria series from the award-winning, bestselling author of Scourge: A Novel of Darkhurst and The Chronicles Of The Necromancer books!
Wandering mystic Yefim Makary, known to his followers as the ‘Witch Lord’, disappeared before he could be accused of inciting dissent against King Kristoph. His supporters among the disenchanted aristocrats who weren’t arrested have fled or died by their own hand. The king is happy to put the matter behind him. Yet Burke, the commander of the elite King’s Shadows, doesn’t believe the threat is over, and he assigns his two most troublesome, rule-breaking—and successful—assassins to ferret out the real threat and put a stop to Makary’s plots.
Joel “Ridge” Breckinridge and Garrett “Rett” Kennard rose through the ranks of the Landrian army together, from teenaged conscripts to seasoned fighters. Together, they became the most feared team of assassins in Landria, surviving longer that most in their profession by virtue of excellent fighting skills, legendary bravado, peerless strategy, and an uncanny synchronicity.
As the threads of a new plot come together revealing disloyalty among the priests and generals, Ridge and Rett once again find themselves on the run, hoping they and their allies can figure out the Witch Lord’s latest scheme before it costs them their lives—and the king his throne.
Wandering mystic Yefim Makary, known to his followers as the ‘Witch Lord’, disappeared before he could be accused of inciting dissent against King Kristoph. His supporters among the disenchanted aristocrats who weren’t arrested have fled or died by their own hand. The king is happy to put the matter behind him. Yet Burke, the commander of the elite King’s Shadows, doesn’t believe the threat is over, and he assigns his two most troublesome, rule-breaking—and successful—assassins to ferret out the real threat and put a stop to Makary’s plots.
Joel “Ridge” Breckinridge and Garrett “Rett” Kennard rose through the ranks of the Landrian army together, from teenaged conscripts to seasoned fighters. Together, they became the most feared team of assassins in Landria, surviving longer that most in their profession by virtue of excellent fighting skills, legendary bravado, peerless strategy, and an uncanny synchronicity.
As the threads of a new plot come together revealing disloyalty among the priests and generals, Ridge and Rett once again find themselves on the run, hoping they and their allies can figure out the Witch Lord’s latest scheme before it costs them their lives—and the king his throne.
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Excerpt Two:
“Nice shooting,” Ridge said, reaching for the wooden cage attached to his saddlebag that held a carrier pigeon. He opened the cage door, setting the bird free, knowing it would fly back to the closest king’s garrison with a note telling the guards where they could retrieve the bodies of the smugglers and proof that the assassination had been completed.
“Thank you. It was a rather satisfying outcome, if a bit showy,” Rett replied with a grin.
“Burke will have our guts for garters for the explosion,” Ridge warned, swinging up into the saddle.
“How long do you think we can get by with being the guys who saved the king?” Rett mused.
“Not nearly long enough.”
The two friends bantered the whole way back to Caralocia, taking a different route than the way they had come. Anyone watching would have seen two gentlemen out for a ride, although the truth was far darker. As King’s Shadows, elite assassins loyal to King Kristoph, Joel “Ridge” Breckenridge and Garrett “Rett” Kennard had become something of a legend among those privileged to know of such things. Everything about them defied convention, much to the annoyance of some of their fellow assassins.
In a business where most Shadows operated as loners, Ridge and Rett had always hunted their quarries together. Their friendship and absolute loyalty to one another was equally uncommon, given their business. But Ridge and Rett had formed a bond back in the orphanage when they were just eight and ten, and it had carried them through those days of hardship as well as their climb through the ranks in the army. Along the way, they’d made plenty of enemies, both among the traitors and criminals they hunted, and, by their outstanding success, within the ranks of their allies.
“How much dirt do you think Henri’s been able to turn up on those counterfeiters?” Ridge asked as they rode along a quiet stretch of highway. He might appear relaxed to anyone who happened by, but both men remained alert, knowing that they were never truly safe.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Gail Z. Martin writes epic fantasy, urban fantasy and steampunk for Solaris Books, Orbit Books, SOL Publishing, Darkwind Press, and Falstaff Books. Recent books include Witch of the Woods, Sellsword’s Oath, Inheritance, and Night Moves. With Larry N. Martin, she is the co-author of the Spells Salt & Steel, Wasteland Marshals, Joe Mack and Jake Desmet series. As Morgan Brice, she writes urban fantasy MM paranormal romance including the Witchbane, Badlands and Treasure Trail series. Recent books include Loose Ends and Unholy.
Find her at www.GailZMartin.com,
on Twitter @GailZMartin,
Interview with Gail Z. Martin
1. Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reins of the story?
A: Yes and no. I have to have a pretty solid outline so that I can write efficiently, because I write multiple books a year and I can’t go down blind alleys and do big re-writes. So I have the reins. But page by page, in the dialogue and the way the items in the outline come together, there’s a lot of spur-of-the-moment inspiration that I don’t plan ahead of time when I listen to the characters doing what they do. Those turn out to be some of my favorite parts!
2. Convince us why you feel your book is a must read.
A: Sellsword’s Oath is the second book in the Assassins of Landria series. It follows the adventures of Joel “Ridge” Breckenridge and Garrett “Rett” Kennard, who are the two best King’s Shadows—elite assassins who protect the king and kingdom. Ridge and Rett are unconventional, they’re a headache to their boss, they suck at being stealthy, but they are fiercely loyal to the king and to their friends, and they will risk everything to protect the kingdom—even if doing so lands them on the ‘most wanted’ list!
3. Have you written any other books that are not published?
3. Have you written any other books that are not published?
A: Not really, although I have a lot of outlines and covers for books that aren’t written yet!
4. Pen or typewriter or computer?
A: I often outline in pen just to switch things up, and because I enjoy writing long-hand, no matter what anyone else thinks of my penmanship! Way back on early drafts of my first novel, I used a typewriter because I didn’t have a computer yet. Not doing that again! Now, everything is on computer—which makes it so much easier!
5. Anything you would like to say to your readers and fans?
A: I love all of you! Thank you for reading and for hanging around to chat online and at conventions. I appreciate you, and I hope the books help you escape normal life and have some fun downtime. Thank you!
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE:
Gail Z. Martin will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Follow the tour and comment; the more they comment, the better their chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:
Hello! Thanks so much for sharing your book with us. Always fun reading about another book to enjoy.
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