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

Yehan nodded. “I think…No. I’m sure that’s what I remembered, when I told you someone tried to change me back, and it’d hurt. It was actually Alluaq’s spell. I just…” He quirked his lips self-consciously. “I couldn’t remember it right.”


Tarquin gave him a small kiss on his cheek. “You’d been wounded and tortured and then turned into a hybrid haldur-wyvern person. I’m not surprised you couldn’t remember anything. At least now I know why my negation spell didn’t change you back. It wasn’t evil. Alluaq saved your life. I wish I could thank him.”


“Me, too.” Yehan went silent again. It wasn’t quite the aching quiet of before, but Tarquin could still feel the tension in it.


“At least it explains why we all thought you were a shareblood wyvern,” Tarquin said, pleased when that got a tiny smirk.


“I don’t know how I got out of the lair,” Yehan said at last. “There was haldur blood on my hands, though, and on my teeth. A lot of it. I could taste it. I remember that.”


Chapter 94