THE ASSASSIN'S CUNNING
Book Two of the Assassin Without a Name Series
About the Book
Some days it seems like everyone wants you dead.
The deadline for the Black Guardsmen to leave Alchester has come and gone, and now it’s up to the Assassin Without a Name to act on his threat. While he’s not above killing every last mercenary for the trouble they’ve caused him, he decides on a different course of action when Gwendolyn Goddard requests a meeting. In exchange for killing a rival, she offers to call off her Black Guard watchdogs. The catch? The mark is Atticus Drake, a trusted friend and ally.
Meanwhile, the Warders and Jakaree continue to pursue their dark agendas. For the Warders, frustration leads to more direct action against the Nameless Assassin and his continued interference. The Jakaree, however, recognizing the need for alliances, offer to make a temporary one in hopes of striking a blow against the Warders. Trusting a death priest is never a good idea, but with questions continuing to mount about the Warders, the Assassin Without a Name reluctantly agrees to join them.
Whatever their ultimate goals, the Jakaree and Warders remain in balance until a blood witch comes to town looking for revenge against Mathilda. While the witch has an agenda all her own, her presence threatens to turn the tide in the wrong direction for good.
Deception, intrigue, danger, infernal science run amuck, and half the city wanting him dead? It’s just another day in the life of the Assassin Without a Name.
Reader Praise
"Scott Marlowe strikes gold again with the continuing adventures of the Nameless Assassin." - Goodreads reviewer
Sample Chapters
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Wine List
Most wines in the Assassin Without a Name series are fictitious, though many are based on characteristics found in the many wines of our world.
Barmeda sherry
A dry, light, and smooth sherry with a slightly salty tang.
Crusus Sabeler
A sweet white with a fine bouquet and nutty flavor. A member of the shiraz family of wines. The best shiraz wines come from grapes grown in terraced vineyards.
Jisendell Port
A smooth red fortified with the perfect amount of brandy.
Mullender
A dry red.
Scarlet Tempest
A deep red.
Characters
Aravar Tillwood
Artificer, killed by the Assassin Without a Name.
Braedon
Scamp, thieves’ guild “pick.”
Bumbadillo
Malakai’s dog.
Eliza
Mathilda's daughter.
Gruk/"Bonecrusher"
Gaugath warrior.
Gwendolyn Goddard
Chief Scientist and founding member of the Progressive Society.
Hesulton (Hesul) Branwick
Gardener/necromancer.
Kem
Priest.
Malakai
Street lord, informer.
Mathilda
Witch, sometime ally of the Nameless Assassin.
Olivia Gould
Nameless Assassin’s sister.
Rabbet
Thief, beggar, informer.
Remy Crane
Professor, Ruby Crane's father.
Rolen Fairwind
Wealthy businessman.
Ruby Crane
Professor, Remy Crane's daughter.
Samuel
Atticus Drake’s man.
Sebastian Chase
Wealthy aeropreneur.
Thjorn "Heavyhammer" Targalas
Anolgan, leader of the Thieves Guild.
Thomas Thornton
Wealthy adventurer, Nameless Assassin alias.
William Wright
King’s inspector.
You
Mathilda’s crow.
Zara Blackthorn
Southlander thief.
Zarek
Silent Thorns master assassin.
Black Guard
Castus
Black Guard corporal.
Geoffrey Belford
Black Guard captain.
Marcus Nelson
Black Guard lieutenant.
Jakaree
Ao-utet
Jakaree priest, second-in-command.
Onius
Jakaree head priest.
Scaramon One-Eye
Jakaree priest.
Warders
Claire Carter
Bookshop owner.
Leonidas Storm
Warder compulsor.
Nathanial Manes
Warder compulsor.
Places
Aikon Cemetery
A cemetery where the dead have a knack for rising from the grave.
Alchester
The capital city of Kallendor. At the direction of King Classus, Alchester has become the hub for Kallendor's airship adoption, including development and research as well as an evergrowing infrastructure for commerce by air.
Barmeda
A small Seacean vineyard located close to the western outlet of the Bay of Lochwell. Known for their exquisite sherry.
The Dusty Shelf*
Dover Heights bookstore specializing in rare and hard-to-find books. Proprietor is Claire Carter.
Grainger Town
A district of shops, taverns, markets, and theaters.
The Groggery
A hole-in-the-wall grogshop buried beneath a dilapidated tenement.
Kallendor
The Land of the Horse Lords is a place of grassy plains, wooded glens, and meadows. Kallendorans are a proud people: strong, noble, and dignified. Though many make their way in life as farmers, merchants, shepherds, and cavalry soldiers, as a people they have cultivated superior skills and experience as horse breeders. The horse is central to their lives; more than a few profess to have learned to ride before learning to walk. Many see the advance of technology as a threat to their traditional way of life, though its adoption seems inevitable given their king's support for it. Kallendor is one of the four fiefdoms created after the fall of the high king five hundred years ago.
Khoras*
City of legend and myth, thought to preceded Alchester but destroyed long ago. Called Nyrax by goblin and ratfolk.
King's Airship Docks
Largest airship docks in the Four Fiefdoms, with twenty towers total, though ten are unused.
King's Stockyards*
Located outside the city walls. All manner of livestock are slaughtered here before distribution to butchers inside the city.
Lady Bellum's
Tavern with a pleasant atmosphere.
Lady Smither’s Bathhouse
A bathhouse.
The Lazy Minstrel
A shat hole-in-the-wall tavern run by a woman named Ophelia.
Lockley’s Depository
A bank.
The Mulling Mule
A wineshop of dubious quality.
Mullin’s Pawn Shop
A pawn shop whose owner, Evelyn, isn't above delving into the black market when there's money to be made.
Osterland's
A fine wineshop found on Tanglewood Drive.
Pannernine’s
A wineshop.
Ridlin’s Den
Part gaming hall, part grogshop, all cesspit. Owned by Ridlin.
Rogue’s Den*
Secret hangout for those who know about it. If you know, you know. If you don’t, you shouldn’t try to find it.
The Shambles
The seediest of boroughs in Alchester. Not a place for decent people or even indecent ones.
The Silver Harp*
A fine establishment that caters to nobles and wealthy merchants. Known for its elegant decor and exquisite cuisine.
Temple Catacombs
Extensive series of tunnels beneath the temple district. Once, they were used as a place to bury the dead, earning the catacombs the name, "the realm of the dead."
The Weary Beggar*
One of the best tavern breakfasts in the city.
* newly featured in The Assassin's Cunning
The Series