Twenty-year-old Tarquin is smart, tactless, and braver than he knows. He's also been Mage of the Realm of Kelor for two years, taking the title from his mother after she died protecting Kelor from a terrible threat. Mages, unlike all other magicians, give their blood in exchange for far more powerful magic. Unfortunately for the Mage of the Realm, there's always the chance one day Kelor will need magic of such potency that a mage will have to give not just their blood, but their life. Tarquin's mother already made this sacrifice, and Tarquin knows it's likely also his fate. While on a quest to heal his brother, who is dying because of Tarquin's reckless mistake, Tarquin is attacked by a horrific, flesh-eating monster. He's saved by an enigmatic and mute young soldier, called "Five", who is cursed with a terrifying appearance that conceals the heart of a knight. There's an almost instant attraction between the two men, but no time to explore it. The monster's attack is the harbinger of a new invasion. With Kelor helpless, the realm's only hope lies with Tarquin. Just as he feared, his sole choice is to sacrifice himself the way his mother did, in exchange for magic strong enough to destroy the coming evil. He's prepared to give up his life to save the realm, but before the battle is over, he'll be faced not just with his own death, but the death of everyone he cares about. Including the cursed soldier he's come to love.

Blood for Magic

Tarquin shivered, imagining his own arms lined like that. “Why would the Mother and Father want us to be hurt?”


“They don’t,” Aethelreda said. “All the same, we must pay what we owe. Come.” She brought him closer to the bowl, pulling him along when he tried to hang back. “You need to know what this place is for.”


“I know what this place is for,” Tarquin said, though that wasn’t right. He hadn’t even heard of the Kawj until today, the day after his ninth birthday—an imperfect number, like five—when Aethelreda brought him there.


He was dreaming, Tarquin realized. He looked around, but the cavern was exactly as oppressive as he remembered, exactly as dark and cold. The bowl in the center was still as quietly menacing as a waiting maw. It seemed real. “I’m dreaming. I’m not really here,” he said out loud, but nothing changed. He looked at his mother and she smiled at him, but she seemed terribly sad. “What’s wrong?” he asked her.


Chapter 15