by Agatha Bird
“Soup,” Connor said. He looked at Landyn and linked their hands together, Pairing Sigils pressed tight.
There was a long pause from the Archmages.
“Well,” said Archmage Graylin, “I believe that is a first.”
“Yes,” agreed Archmage Yzri. “An unusual way to demonstrate your understanding.”
“Very,” said Archmage Bruichee, steepling her fingers under her chin. “I, for one, am happy not to be faced with yet another set of dueling beasts. It does get tedious.” She flicked her gaze to the side, and Connor followed the look to find Elisa and Dugan standing red-faced in matching white robes at the front of the crowd.
Archmage Graylin tutted. “Indeed. Especially when the dueling in question is altogether uninspired. What these young lads propose shows a certain imagination that I find lacking in the young mages we’ve seen so far today.”
Elisa and Dugan went, if possible, even redder.
Connor nudged Landyn and tipped his chin toward the crowd.
Landyn’s lips twitched in the tiniest smirk. “Elisa and Dugan took their turn just before you arrived,” he whispered. “Conjured an air battle between two feathered dragons. Archmage Yzri fell asleep in the middle and Elisa got so flustered she couldn’t hold her dragon’s shape. It looked like a mangy weasel. They barely passed.”
“Sorry I missed it,” Connor said, grinning.
“Young men,” Archmage Roumin’s voice rang out, the sound causing everyone to fall silent. “Give us your statement.”
Connor and Landyn exchanged a nervous glance. “The Oracle Paired us together,” Connor said. “A fire mage and a water mage. At first we wanted to impress you with a grand demonstration but—but magic isn’t always about what makes the biggest statement or who’s the most powerful.”
Connor squeezed Landyn’s hand and felt him squeeze back. “Even the most opposite magics can be complementary, and the best magics work with each other, not against each other.”
Laughter rippled through the air like quicksilver, and by the startled expressions on everyone’s face, this time Connor wasn’t the only one who heard it.
You have learned well, Connor Roth. And you, Landyn Glendower. You have passed your Trial. Your future together begins now. You will do great things. Great things.
There was a rush of wind that nearly bowled them over and sent the Archmages’ tall hats tumbling across the dais.
“That bloody Oracle,” Archmage Graylin muttered, patting his windblown hair. “You’re Roth’s boy, aren’t you?”
“And that’s Gwenneth’s son, the skinny one there.”
“Ah. Now it makes perfect sense.”
Connor and Landyn raised an eyebrow at each other. It did?
“How long will the soup take?” asked Archmage Yzri, rubbing his large belly through his white robes. “You’ve no idea how famished we get after overseeing the Trial all day.”
“Coming right up,” Connor said. “Landyn?”
Landyn grinned at him. “Ready when you are. You know,” he whispered to Connor, “when this is done, we should visit the practice room.”
“Why? It’s over! We don’t have to practice anymore.”
Landyn gave him a look that was hotter than anything Connor could conjure. “Then how should we make use of our private room?”
Connor’s face heated in response. “You call me the barbarian. How am I going to concentrate with that kind of distraction?”
Landyn hummed as their fingers brushed when he reached across Connor to grab the pot. “Don’t ask me. You’re the expert on distractions. I’m expecting you to be a very thorough instructor.” Landyn paused and said, very quietly, “Me too, you know. I’m with you.” Then he looked up at Connor, blue light dancing in his eyes, and smiled.
Great things, Connor thought, his heart full of magic.
About the Author
AGATHA BIRD grew up in sunny, swampy Florida where she still lives with two ridiculously named cats. She told fibs when she was a kid, but now she tells stories. (Plus storyteller sounds way better than professional liar.) She subsists on a steady diet of sunflower seeds, tea, books, and terrible puns. Libraries are her natural habitat, and she reaches her full power once a year on Halloween. She believes in wereyorkies, the full moon, and true romance. She loves monsters, magic, bad guys, and happy endings, preferably all in one story. She thinks frog princes are totally overdone, so she stares a little too longingly at alligators. One has yet to stare longingly back.
Website: http://agathabird.com/
Twitter: @aggybird
Tumblr: http://aggybird.tumblr.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/agathabird
Key of Behliseth
By Lou Hoffman
On his way to meet a fate he’d rather avoid, homeless gay teen Lucky steps through a wizard’s door and is caught up in a whirlwind quest and an ancient war. He tries to convince himself that his involvement with sword fights, magic, and interworld travel is a fluke, and that ice-breathing dragons and fire-breathing eagles don’t really exist. But with each passing hour, he remembers more about who he is and where he’s from, and with help, he begins to claim his power.
Lucky might someday rule a nation, but before he can do that, he must remember his true name, accept his destiny, and master his extraordinary abilities. Only then can he help to banish the evil that has invaded Earth and find his way home—through a gateway to another world.
http://www.harmonyinkpress.com
The Supernaturals
By Gene Gant
Draven, a fledgling monster, faces an impossible choice just three days before his fifteenth birthday. If he doesn’t make his first human kill and release the beast within him, his father will kill his mortal mother. But Draven doesn’t want to become a sadistic, ruthless fiend like his father.
Help arrives in the form of Ahmad, a powerful 1500-year-old djinn whose soul is trapped in a brass ring, and handsome Inky, who is also much older than he seems. In turn, they introduce Draven to the eerie, mysterious Mina, who has information they need to rescue Draven’s mother. But their quest to free her is not without obstacles. Draven falls head over heels in love with Inky, only to discover how deadly this can be. And Ahmad’s ring falls into the hands of an enemy who won’t hesitate to use Ahmad against his friends.
http://www.harmonyinkpress.com
Copyright
Published by
HARMONY INK PRESS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
[email protected] • http://harmonyinkpress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Recipe for Magic
© 2015 Agatha Bird.
Cover Art
© 2015 Aaron Anderson.
[email protected]
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Harmony Ink Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or [email protected].
Digital ISBN: 978-1-63216-462-9
First Edition January 2015
Printed in the United States of America
Table of
Contents
Recipe for Magic
About the Author
Copyright