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The King Below
Not yet published
Expected 1 Dec 26The once-great Kingdom of Midharan has been brought low by war, disease, and corruption. In place of grandeur, only unrest and desperation remain.
In the capital, scheming nobles and crown advocates swarm like sharks to blood. To the west, the city of Oldcross has become a paradise for the underworld. The Black Guild sells justice for gold, and the Old Company betrays its final scraps of nobility for power and violence. Gravest of all, something ancient and unforgiving stirs.
At the center of the conflict lie five lives marked by forces older than they know. Four brothers bound by blood and one unwanted daughter of the crown.
Undercaptain Cassian, the eldest brother, is a prodigy of the royal fleet, despite his low birth. He’s always done things by the book, but aboard the legendary warship the Arbiter, Cassian must remain wary of pirates, backstabbing officers, and something far darker still.
Milo and Sergio share a face, but not a soul. Milo picks pockets, plays cards, and never thinks twice about the rules. Sergio lives by a code: knighthood, honor, and oaths. But blood runs thicker than morals and family loyalty has a price.
Ashriël is a bastard daughter of the throne, abandoned to scrub clothes despite having a memory like a blade. But when the law turns its back on Midharan, Ashriël begins to wonder what she’s truly capable of.
Wherever he went, Dante always seemed a step out of place. Too empathetic for a warrior's world and too willing to listen where others would lash out. But everything changed in a single night of ash and ruin. Now he must live with scars, ancient magic, and the slow work of becoming whole again.
The King Below was crafted through over a decade of mapping, drafting, and quiet obsession. It marks the first volume of The Law of Ash: an epic dark fantasy saga for readers who believe heroes aren’t born, but forged in flame.
In this world, justice does not come free. And those who demand it must be ready to bleed.
In the capital, scheming nobles and crown advocates swarm like sharks to blood. To the west, the city of Oldcross has become a paradise for the underworld. The Black Guild sells justice for gold, and the Old Company betrays its final scraps of nobility for power and violence. Gravest of all, something ancient and unforgiving stirs.
At the center of the conflict lie five lives marked by forces older than they know. Four brothers bound by blood and one unwanted daughter of the crown.
Undercaptain Cassian, the eldest brother, is a prodigy of the royal fleet, despite his low birth. He’s always done things by the book, but aboard the legendary warship the Arbiter, Cassian must remain wary of pirates, backstabbing officers, and something far darker still.
Milo and Sergio share a face, but not a soul. Milo picks pockets, plays cards, and never thinks twice about the rules. Sergio lives by a code: knighthood, honor, and oaths. But blood runs thicker than morals and family loyalty has a price.
Ashriël is a bastard daughter of the throne, abandoned to scrub clothes despite having a memory like a blade. But when the law turns its back on Midharan, Ashriël begins to wonder what she’s truly capable of.
Wherever he went, Dante always seemed a step out of place. Too empathetic for a warrior's world and too willing to listen where others would lash out. But everything changed in a single night of ash and ruin. Now he must live with scars, ancient magic, and the slow work of becoming whole again.
The King Below was crafted through over a decade of mapping, drafting, and quiet obsession. It marks the first volume of The Law of Ash: an epic dark fantasy saga for readers who believe heroes aren’t born, but forged in flame.
In this world, justice does not come free. And those who demand it must be ready to bleed.
825 pages, Paperback
Expected publication December 1, 2026
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About the author
J. Urbinati
1 book9 followersJ. Urbinati has built complex systems as a computer engineer and argued high-stakes cases as a New York City lawyer. His worlds are crafted with an engineer's precision, yet are driven by the very moral ambiguities he witnessed firsthand. The King Below is his debut novel.
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