VILLAINS OF BOOK SEVEN
Mercurius, the Bloody Bard
Murderous musician · knife fighter · gear hunter
A Reputation Written in Blood
Mercurius is an infamous bard suspected of murdering the rest of his musical family so that he alone would inherit the fame. Nothing was proven in court, but his title, the Bloody Bard, and the trail of missing people around him do little to reassure anyone.
The Gear Hunter
After the DEM fragments, Mercurius learns that the Netherking will trade one restored life for each recovered gear. He tests the bargain by resurrecting one of his old victims, only to kill the person again. He keeps a list of others he would like to repeat the process with.
Alliance with Felgarath
Mercurius finds Felgarath in hiding and proposes that they hunt the gears together. He fights with a slender knife in each hand, survives encounters with hummingbears, and serves as a dangerous partner who is subordinate only when it suits him.
Chronicler’s note: Mercurius is not an abstract magical power. He is a theatrical, flesh-and-blood killer whose musical fame and violence are impossible to separate.
LAUNCH TIME · MR. MERCURY
The Bloody Bard Becomes a Modern Recruiter
In the modern era, Mercurius operates as Mr. Mercury: an imposing, wealthy recruiter dressed in black and linked to the Order of the Crimson Leaf. He offers Gary Baumgartner two million dollars to join Expedition Red Leaf, concealing that Gary’s ancestry is needed to open the portal and advance the plan to restore Felgarath.
The controlled businessman and the ancient knife-wielding bard are the same patient operative, separated by centuries but united by secrecy, old loyalties, and an ability to reveal only the truth required to keep other people moving.
Michael D. Young 