Read an Excerpt From The Voyage of the Forgotten

Michael Kingman has discovered his destiny, but the distance to what he wants is as wide as the world, and just as cruel.

We’re thrilled to share an excerpt from The Voyage of the Forgotten, the conclusion to Nick Martell’s epic fantasy trilogy The Legacy of the Mercenary King, publishing with Gallery/Saga Press on November 1st.

Michael Kingman has discovered his destiny, but the distance to what he wants, namely a life with Serena, the queen of Hollow kingdom, is as wide as the world, and just as cruel.

Meanwhile, Dark, the realm’s most fearsome mercenary, Michael’s sometime mentor, and son of his nemesis, Angelo, is trying to keep Michael in line, for his own purposes as he too has a hidden agenda. Michael comes to realize that he is outclassed by powers that have been working for centuries to bring about a fresh end to the world filled with those he loves. But when has merely being overpowered ever stopped Michael from getting what he wants?

To prevent what may bring about the end times Michael must gather his remaining allies and push himself to achieve the impossible because the alternative is worse than he can imagine: it’s not just the beginning of the end of the world, it’s being alone and forgotten.

Cartography Lessons

Naïvely, I had thought Dark was the worst Mercenary I would ever meet. That he was the rock bottom when it came to morality… killing or maiming anyone that delayed his revenge. He was even willing to commit genocide to do it. But I had been wrong. Dark was a monster… there was no doubt about that… but even he paled in comparison to the four noble siblings of Regal Company. Dark did what he had to. On the road to Vargo I had seen them do and say unspeakable things just for shits and giggles. And now they had a dagger to Naomi’s throat. Potential Raven be damned, they’d murder her without a thought for the consequences. If there were any. Only Mercenaries could take other Mercenaries to court, and who would be stupid enough to challenge one of the biggest companies?

Sadly, only me.

“Let her go,” I ordered, grip steady on the revolver.

Liam Noble, the Mercenary with the dagger, smiled, showing the gap where his front teeth should have been. He was muscular and tall, with Goldani skin and hair and violet eyes—the only trait common to all the siblings. Their father—astonishingly—was even worse than his children, and each of them had a different mother. At least two of them were some of the strongest Fabricators Dark had ever seen, even rivaling his skills.

“I don’t have to be the bitch who says that’s only happening once you hand him over, right?” Ciara said, gesturing at Sebastian. She was slender and snakelike, smooth muscles hidden in plain sight. Her hair was blacker than the sky above us and her eyes as wide as a cat’s. There was no way to tell where her mother was from or if she was one of the Fabricators I had been warned about.

“Orbis Company has the right to detain him as we see fit,” Alexis said. “Do you really think we care about who’s in the right here?” Liam countered. He licked his lips, which was a lot grosser an act than I remembered. “That pig attacked Jay’s beloved. Now hand him over before we kill this woman.”

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The Voyage of the Forgotten

“Did Jay give you these orders?” I asked.

“No. We’re acting on our own.” Ciara tilted her head to the side, twirling the spear in her hand. “Nice try.”

So much for holding someone accountable if this all went to shit. Mercenaries could only be held accountable for whatever deplorable things we did by our leadership council. Jay could be, since he wasn’t a Mercenary, but if he hadn’t authorized this attack… that plan was useless.

Naomi kept scowling at her captors as the wind around us began to pick up, blowing the leaves off nearby trees and sending floating seeds through the air. Just out of sight, people were running around and shouting, but as the noises slowly got closer to us, we all wondered who would start this inevitable conflict.

Ciara did. She leapt from her spot like a cat, claws replaced by nearly invisible knives between her fingers. Like a fool, I aimed my gun at her, prepared to shoot… only for a branch from a nearby tree to wrap around my wrist and yank it back. The revolver flew out of my hand and skittered across the ground, out of reach, as Ciara landed on top of me, forcing me to the ground and trying to embed her knives in my chest. Only luck, and the fact Alexis was shooting away any branches that tried to ensnare me, prevented her from succeeding.

One of them was a Weaver. Thankfully for me, I had seen one before. As I struggled with Ciara, I concentrated the warmth over my body before expelling it outward. The branches stopped moving and the wind died down instantaneously. Both would now know I was a Nullify Fabricator—if they didn’t already. But as Liam gave me a bloody sneer, I knew who the Wood Weaver was. Physical pain allowed Weaving, while memory loss allowed Fabricating. It was one of the few rules about magic in this world I was confident about.

“Ciara. Liam. Enough.”

Ciara rolled off me, suddenly turning meek. Liam let Naomi go, shoving her away as a man approached us. He was thin and short, ribs likely visible beneath his shirt. His skin looked cracked, as if he had scales, and his teeth were inhumanly white. Much like Angelo Shade, there was no way to tell where he had been born, and if it weren’t for his violet eyes, I wouldn’t have been able to determine anything about him. But considering only two of the noble siblings had traveled with us to Vargo—the other two were back at their headquarters near New Dracon City—there was only one person this man could be: Papa Noble, the leader of Regal Company and known throughout the world as the Butcher of Vurano.

“Children,” he said, waving off a stick of incense as he strolled into the moonlit garden. He reeked of jasmine and sandalwood. “Behind me. Now.”

They did as they were told, scurrying away like rats as Papa Noble put his hands in his jacket pockets and blew out a plume of white steam. “I apologize for my children. They are so used to fighting, they sometimes forget there are other solutions.”

I didn’t respond, making sure Naomi and Sebastian were behind Alexis.

“That man,” Papa Noble said as he pointed at Sebastian, “led the attack against Queen Serena Hollow, yes?”

Alexis spoke before I could. “We have reason to believe so.”

“His name?”

After only a slight hesitation, she answered, “High Noble Sebastian Margaux.”

Papa Noble let out a long sound of realization, still staring at the moons in the sky. “High Noble Sebastian Margaux… His stepfather is Antoine Margaux, his mother is Camille Margaux, and his sister was Danielle Margaux… who just recently died, yes?”

My eyes gave away the answer, and we all knew it.

“The Low Noble families directly under them are the Rerio family, the Fargo family, the Larr family, the Nero family, and the Maro family. Currently, they have thirty-seven servants working for them in their keep. Excluding the seventy-five house guards.” He stopped to clear his throat. “High Noble Sebastian Margaux’s closest friend is a Low Noble named Alexi Nero, who he sees rarely now he’s been conscripted into Prince Adreann Noble’s Throne Seekers. And I think that Alexi was just recently wed to a harpist named Felisi.” Papa Noble finally looked at us with his violet eyes. “Sebastian missed the wedding. What a shame.”

“Are you trying to intimidate us?” I croaked out.

“No, Michael Kingman… I am not.” He took a deep breath. “I am telling you what I know about High Noble Sebastian Margaux… and who I will kill if he is not handed over.”

My entire body froze at this casual threat. Luckily for me, Alexis replied, “Orbis Company has the right to hold and detain High Noble Sebastian Margaux while Queen Serena Hollow is in recovery. We were tasked with her protection, and if she dies, we are responsible to identify those who harmed her. Regal Company was only here to protect Jay Prince, and since he was not harmed, you have no right to take—”

“No right?” Papa Noble interrupted in barely more than a whisper. “Our client was emotionally harmed. For this, we demand satisfaction.”

“Not before we get ours,” I said, courage finally returning.

Papa Noble stared right through me as if I were an ant beneath his feet. No one, not Dark or Domet or even Jay Prince, had looked at me like that. It made me feel like an observer to history rather than someone who could dictate his own fate.

“So be it,” the Mercenary said. “If Queen Serena dies, you may keep him. But if she doesn’t… I expect him to be delivered to the theater we’re using. Or I will be forced to come get him myself.” He turned to Alexis. “Make sure Cassia is aware of what transpired here. I suspect she will be more… forthcoming with my—”

Bells rang out from all directions. Frantic. Manic. Overwhelming. A system meant to warn and protect, suddenly used like a weapon. They never stopped. Nor did they sound like a warning about an incoming piece of Celona. This was a new a signal for certain disaster that would scare even the firmest skeptic into looking at the skies.

“Is this…?” I trailed off.

“No,” Papa stated. “Not us.”

“Finally. They’re here. I was wondering when they’d show.” Sebastian beamed from his place against the tree. “I’m not the only family you and Dark hurt, Michael. We banded together to take our revenge.”

High Noble Margaux pointed upward, where six shadowy figures hovered above the city. Each was a different color, size, and shape. Some were twisty and long like a babbling brook, while others were fat and stout like a thick slab of iron. They blocked out the moon and stars with their wings, plunging us into near-perfect darkness. A perpetual gloom fit to become a culling field.

The beast in the middle of the group stared at me. His body was big enough to block out Celona and Tenere before he spread his veiny bat-like wings. He had muddled silvery-black scales layered over his body like armor, a mouth full of pointy teeth, a tail that swayed back and forth in the air like a serpent, two bright red eyes returning my gaze, and a jagged scar on his neck from where I had shot him. I hadn’t seen Rian’s true form back in Hollow but had dreamed of it in the many months since our last encounter. It didn’t disappoint.

Alexis, Naomi, and the Noble siblings gaped at the sky. Only Papa Noble seemed unfazed. Like a playwright watching the tomatoes thrown after a bad performance.

The days of myths and legends were over. Replaced with the truth that we are small in the grand scheme of things. Insects struggling to avoid being crushed by those that tower over us. And yet, I smiled. The sight of them made me feel alive. I wasn’t an embodiment of vengeance, but I needed a good excuse right now to forget my heartbreak.

“Fitting they came here, isn’t it? We’re at the end of the continent.” He laughed some more. “And do you know what cartographers used to write at the edges of the map?” Sebastian asked. “Here be dragons.”