Riyria Revelations 02 - Rise Of Empire

VINTU: Native tribe of Calis

 

WANDERING DEACON OF DAHLGREN: Name that refers to Deacon Tomas

 

WARRIC: Kingdom of Avryn, once ruled by Ethelred, now part of the New Empire

 

WATCH OFFICER: Officer of the watch, in charge during a particular shift, responsible for everything that transpires during this time

 

WESBADEN: Major trade port city of Calis

 

WESLEY: Son of Lord Belstrad, brother of Sir Breckton, junior midshipman on the Emerald Storm

 

WESTBANK: Newly formed province of Dunmore

 

WESTERLANDS: Unknown frontier to the west

 

WHERRY: Light rowboat, used for racing or transporting goods and passengers on inland waters and harbors

 

WICEND: \why-send\ Farmer in Melengar, name of the ford that crosses the Galewyr into Glouston

 

WIDLEY: Professor at Sheridan University, tried and burned for heresy

 

WILFRED: Carter in Hintindar

 

WINDS ABBEY: Monastery of the Monks of Maribor, rebuilt by Myron Lanaklin after being burned

 

WINSLOW, ALBERT: See Albert Winslow

 

WINTERTIDE: Chief holiday, held in midwinter, celebrated by feasts and games of skill

 

WITCH OF MELENGAR: Derogatory title attributed to Princess Arista

 

WYATT DEMINTHAL: Quartermaster and helmsman of the Emerald Storm, father of Allie

 

WYLIN: \why-lynn\ Master-at-arms at Essendon Castle

 

WYMAR, MARQUIS: Nobleman of Melengar, member of Alric’s council

 

YOLRIC: Teacher of Esrahaddon

 

ZULRON: Deformed oberdaza of Oudorro

 

 

 

 

 

extras

 

 

 

www.orbitbooks.net

 

 

 

 

 

about the author

 

 

 

After finding a manual typewriter in the basement of a friend’s house, Michael J. Sullivan inserted a blank piece of paper and typed It was a dark and stormy night, and a shot rang out. He was just eight. Still, the desire to fill the blank page and see where the keys would take him next wouldn’t let go. As an adult, Michael spent ten years developing his craft by reading and studying authors such as Stephen King, Ayn Rand, and John Steinbeck, to name just a few. He wrote ten novels, and after finding no traction in publishing, he quit, vowing never to write creatively again.

 

Michael discovered forever is a very long time and ended his writing hiatus ten years later. The itch returned when he decided to write books for his then thirteen-year-old daughter, who was struggling in school because of dyslexia. Intrigued by the idea of a series with an overarching story line, yet told through individual, self-contained episodes, he created the Riyria Revelations. He wrote the series with no intention of publishing it. After presenting his book in manuscript form to his daughter, she declared that it had to be a “real book,” in order for her to be able to read it.

 

So began his second adventure on the road to publication, which included drafting his wife to be his business manager, signing with a small independent press, and creating a publishing company. He sold more than sixty thousand books as a self-published author and leveraged this success to achieve mainstream publication through Orbit (the fantasy imprint of Hachette Book Group) as well as foreign translation rights including French, Spanish, Russian, German, Polish, and Czech.

 

Born in Detroit, Michigan, Michael presently lives in Fair-fax, Virginia, with his wife and three children. He continues to fill the blank pages with three projects under development: a modern fantasy, which explores the relationship between good and evil; a literary fiction piece, profiling a man’s descent into madness; and a medieval fantasy, which will be prequel to his best-selling Riyria Revelations series.

 

Find out more about Michael J. Sullivan and other Orbit authors by registering for the free monthly newsletter at www.orbitbooks.net

 

 

 

 

 

if you enjoyed

 

RISE OF EMPIRE

 

look out for

 

 

 

HEIR OF NOVRON

 

volume three of the Riyria Revelations

 

 

 

also by

 

 

 

Michael J. Sullivan

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER I

 

 

 

 

 

AQUESTA

 

Some people are skilled, and some are lucky, but at that moment Mince realized he was neither. Failing to cut the merchant’s purse strings, he froze with one hand still cupping the bag. He knew the pickpocket’s creed allowed for only a single touch, and he had dutifully slipped into the crowd after two earlier attempts. A third failure meant they would bar him from another meal. Mince was too hungry to let go.

 

With his hands still under the merchant’s cloak, he waited. The man remained oblivious.

 

Should I try again?

 

The thought was insane, but his empty stomach won the battle over reason. In a moment of desperation, Mince pushed caution aside. The leather seemed oddly thick. Sawing back and forth, he felt the purse come loose, but something was not right. It took only an instant for Mince to realize his mistake. Instead of purse strings, he had sliced through the merchant’s belt. Like a hissing snake, the leather strap slithered off the fat man’s belly, dragged to the cobblestones by the weight of his weapons.

 

Michael J Sullivan's books