The
Shadowed Path
The
Jonmarc Vahanian Adventures Vol 1
by
Gail Z. Martin
Genre:
Epic Fantasy
NOTHING
AHEAD BUT VENGEANCE - NOTHING BEHIND BUT BLOOD
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. This is
the start of his epic journey.
A
blacksmith’s son in a small fishing village before raiders killed
his amily, Jonmarc was wounded and left for dead in the attack. He
tried to rebuild his life, but when a dangerous bargain with a
shadowy stranger went wrong, he found himself on the run.
Gail
Z. Martin returns to the world of her internationally best-selling
books with these thrilling ales of adventure and high fantasy,
collected together here for the very first time.
OVER
HALF A MILLION CHRONICLES OF THE NECROMANCER BOOKS SOLD
“Attractive
characters and an imaginative setting combine in an excellent,
fast-moving quest novel.”
-
David Drake on THE SUMMONER.
“Do you think it’s true? About the raiders? Conrad said the fishermen spotted a strange ship, out beyond the bay.” Jonmarc Vahanian set down the bucket of water he had drawn from the well. The small house was warm from the fire in the hearth, and the smells of mutton stew and freshly baked bread filled the air.
His mother, Dalia, sat at the table slicing vegetables. Along one wall sat a large loom, a spinning wheel, and skeins of the dyed yarn Dalia used in her craft. A half-carded heap of wool lay in a pile to be combed. The house was unusually quiet, since all three of Jonmarc’s younger brothers had been sent to feed the chickens and tend the sheep.
Dalia repressed a shiver at his question. “Mother and Childe! Don’t say such things. I hope not,” she replied and made the sign of the Lady in warding. “We haven’t had raiders in these parts for years, not since King Bricen sent his ships after them.”
“The king’s ships moved on a long time ago,” Jonmarc said. “If we know it, perhaps the raiders know it, too.”
Dalia slipped a strand of her dark hair behind one ear, and her chopping sped up. “I don’t want to speak of it. The fishermen watch the waters. The rest of the men watch the forest. And the women pray to the Lady. We’ll be all right.” She looked up and managed a smile at her eldest son.
“Go call your brothers and then go down to the forge and tell your father that dinner’s almost ready so he has time to wash up.” Her face was flushed from the heat of the fire, although the night outside was cool.
“I’m on my way,” Jonmarc said and ducked out of the doorway.
Hens pecked at the bare ground near the house, and behind him, in the fenced yard, he could hear the sheep and goats. The night was cool and clear, but smoke from the forge’s coal fire hung in the air.
His brothers, Neil, Piers, and Marty, were out in the small yard that separated the house from the barn and the forge. Neil, two years younger than Jonmarc and half a head shorter, was splitting wood. Piers, three years younger than Neil, was feeding the sheep, while four-year-old Marty traipsed behind him.
“Finish up and get inside,” Jonmarc called. “Dinner’s nearly ready.”
Neil stood up and stuck the blade of his axe on the chopping block. He wiped his brow with his sleeve. “Good thing. I’m hungry.”
Piers and Marty were being mobbed by sheep eager for their own meal. “Did you hear me?” Jonmarc shouted.
Piers dumped the last of the feed into the trough and then lifted Marty onto his shoulder to get him away from the jostling herd. He glanced in Jonmarc’s direction. “We heard you. We’ll be there.”
“Did Mother know anything about raiders?” Neil asked in a voice pitched so the younger boys did not hear.
The
Dark Road
The
Jonmarc Vahanian Adventures Vol 2
“May
you lose all you love to the flame and the sword—and the Dark Lady
take your soul!”
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.
Gail
Z. Martin returns to the world of her internationally best-selling
books with these thrilling tales of adventure and high fantasy,
collected together here for the very first time.
OVER
HALF A MILLION CHRONICLES OF THE NECROMANCER BOOKS SOLD
Gail
Z. Martin
discovered her passion for science fiction, fantasy and ghost stories
in elementary school. The first story she wrote at age five was about
a vampire. Her favorite TV show as a preschooler was Dark Shadows. At
age 14, she decided to become a writer. She enjoys attending science
fiction/fantasy conventions, Renaissance fairs and living history
sites.
The Martins have
three children, a Maltese, and a Golden Retriever.
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