Raves for the novels of Marshall Ryan Maresca:
“[The Way of the Shield] is a political story, one which both demands and rewards your attention. It’s a personal story, dealing with pain, loss, heartbreak and forgiveness. It’s a story about morality, about sacrifice, about what people want from life. It’s a fun story—there’s quips, swordfights, chases through the streets. It’s a compelling, convincing work of fantasy, and a worthy addition to the rich tapestry that is the works of Maradaine. Pick it up, give it a try—you won’t be disappointed.”
—Sci-Fi and Fantasy Reviews
“Veranix is Batman, if Batman were a teenager and magically talented. . . . Action, adventure, and magic in a school setting will appeal to those who love Harry Potter and Patrick Rothfuss’ The Name of the Wind.”
—Library Journal (starred)
“The perfect combination of urban fantasy, magic, and mystery.”
—Kings River Life Magazine
“Marshall Ryan Maresca is some kind of mad genius. . . . Not since Terry Pratchett’s Ankh Morpork have we enjoyed exploring every angle of an invented locale quite this much.”
—B&N Sci-fi & Fantasy Blog
“Maresca’s debut is smart, fast, and engaging fantasy crime in the mold of Brent Weeks and Harry Harrison. Just perfect.”
—Kat Richardson, national bestselling author of Revenant
“Maresca offers something beyond the usual high fantasy fare, with a wealth of unique and well-rounded characters, a vivid setting, and complicatedly intertwined social issues that feel especially timely.”
—Publishers Weekly
DAW Books presents the novels of Marshall Ryan Maresca:
Maradaine:
THE THORN OF DENTONHILL
THE ALCHEMY OF CHAOS
THE IMPOSTERS OF AVENTIL
*
Maradaine Constabulary:
A MURDER OF MAGES
AN IMPORT OF INTRIGUE
A PARLIAMENT OF BODIES
*
Streets of Maradaine:
THE HOLVER ALLEY CREW
LADY HENTERMAN’S WARDROBE
THE FENMERE JOB
*
Maradaine Elite:
THE WAY OF THE SHIELD
SHIELD OF THE PEOPLE
PEOPLE OF THE CITY
* * *
THE VELOCITY OF REVOLUTION*
*Coming soon from DAW
Copyright © 2020 by Marshall Ryan Maresca.
All Rights Reserved.
Cover illustration by Paul Young.
Cover design by Adam Auerbach.
Edited by Sheila E. Gilbert.
DAW Book Collectors No. 1866.
Published by DAW Books, Inc.
1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious.
Any resemblance to persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book may have been stolen property and reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher. In such case neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal, and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
Ebook ISBN: 9780756415013
DAW TRADEMARK REGISTERED
U.S. PAT. AND TM. OFF. AND FOREIGN COUNTRIES
—MARCA REGISTRADA
HECHO EN U.S.A.
PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.
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Contents
Cover
Praise for Marshall Ryan Maresca
Also by Marshall Ryan Maresca
Title Page
Copyright
Acknowledgments
Maps of the Archduchy
Chronological Note
Prelude
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Antepenultimate Interlude
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Penultimate Interlude
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Ultimate Interlude
Chapter 27
About the Author
Acknowledgments
This has been a journey, friends.
In 2007, sitting in a bookstore café, frustrated that the novel I was trying to write wasn’t coming together, I had a strange idea. I wrote it out in longhand:
Four series
Magic student/secret street thief?
Traditional knight/paladin/elite warrior
Police detective partners
Thieves—brothers?—pulling heists together
Interconnect in same world
There, in twenty-odd words, the seed that became the Maradaine Saga was planted. It took time and a lot of work to cultivate that seed, grow it into what would become The Thorn of Dentonhill, A Murder of Mages, The Holver Alley Crew, and The Way of the Shield, as well as the further development for all the other Maradaine novels, leading to this book in your hands.
More than once over the course of writing this book, I whispered to myself, “I’m actually getting to do this.” Because with this, finishing the first phase of the Maradaine Saga, I’ve accomplished something beyond what I thought I’d, frankly, be allowed to do.
But I actually got to do this.
Let me clarify what I mean. This saga, comprised of four series that interconnect with each other, all while laying the foundations of larger plots that reach a climax in this book in your hands, started with The Thorn of Dentonhill, which was released in February 2015. I’m writing these acknowledgments for the twelfth book just five years later, with the book being released before the end of the year. Twelve books, in a span of time where it’s rare for a writer to put out more than three. Twelve books, in a span of time where it’s not uncommon for someone to go from “debut author” to “retired author.”
I actually got to do that. I was allowed to do that. I had this mad, absurd plan, and enough people nodded their heads and said, “Yes, do that,” to put this in your hands.
Thanks to so many people lending help and support along the way.
First and foremost, I have to talk about my absolute rock of support, my friend since middle school, Daniel J. Fawcett. So much of the worldbuilding and big ideas behind Maradaine were shepherded by long conversations and email chains with him over the past thirty-plus years. His influence is woven into the very DNA of the work. The books—and I—would be lesser without him.
A lot of my development as a writer can be tied to the ArmadilloCon Writers Workshop, which was run by Stina Leicht for several years. Stina’s been a friend and mentor for years, first with critiques of my work when I was a student in the AWW, then bringing me up to help her run it. She continues to be one of my favorite people in this business.
Being a student in the AWW also helped these books with critique and guidance of several other generous folks who volunteered as instructors and administrators, including Julie Kenner, Kimberley Frost, Anne Sowards, Patrice Sarath, and Melissa Mead Tyler. The first
