Book I: Those Who Create and Destroy
Download the complete Part One for e-reader (EPUB and PDF).
When a hijacked war machina turns on the crowd at a meeting of the Auctoritas Magicae, prodigy apprentice Jules Nimri deploys his newly-developed “combat alchemy” to bring down the automaton—but only after the construct has slaughtered dozens. In the aftermath of the tragedy, accusations fly, rekindling an ancient interfaction feud that could plunge the arcane world into war.
Meanwhile, in nearby Chicago, young ex-mage Rory Navarrete is swept back up in the esoteric life he left behind when he stumbles on a coven of apostate mages in the middle of a ritual human sacrifice. After striking them down with his own forbidden magic, Rory rushes the victim to the Enclave to seek treatment for a supernatural injury—only to be clapped in irons the moment he sets foot on premises.
Jules negotiates Rory’s release, tentatively reviving a childhood friendship that ended in betrayal. The star-crossed odd couple join forces to investigate the murderous apostates—only to find clues of a deep conspiracy, and a malignant magic long thought extinct. Their discovery could prevent tensions from boiling over, but finding proof is no easy task, and time’s working against them, as Hunter Lockwood, scion of a potent magic dynasty—and Jules’s depraved ex-betrothed—stokes the fires of separatism to fuel his own political rise, pushing the alliance toward the brink much faster than anyone could have imagined.
The complete Part 1 is online now at the links below, and is available to download free in its entirety in EPUB or PDF format. Part 2 is currently being released in twice-weekly chapter installments, which can be read at the links below. Become a Patron to get early access to the complete Part 2 now, along with deleted scenes and other special content.
Part One
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CONTENT WARNING
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
CHAPTER ONE — “They Perched On Their Stilts, Pointing and Daring Me to Break Custom”
CHAPTER TWO — “Buried Myself Alive”
CHAPTER THREE — “I Didn’t Say I Was Powerful, I Said I Was a Wizard”
CHAPTER FOUR — “Fucking Hero”
CHAPTER FIVE — “When Was the Last Time We Painted over the Blood on the Walls?”
CHAPTER SIX — “Peacock Skeleton with Crooked Feathers”
CHAPTER SEVEN — “The Words ‘Best Friend’ Become Redefined”
CHAPTER EIGHT — “A Gift for Fiction”
CHAPTER NINE — “Falling Asleep on a Stranger”
CHAPTER TEN — “Sorry, Dudes. My Bad.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN — “All Is Ash or the Light Shining Through It”
CHAPTER TWELVE — “Honey, This Mirror Isn’t Big Enough for the Two of Us”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN — “(x) Amount of Truth”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN — “Blood Clots and Black Holes”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN — “Sorry, You’re Not a Winner”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN — “Wolves Make Great Actors”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN — “You Will Not Be Welcomed”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN — “The Created Void”
Part Two
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FORM AND VOID 