Nonmagical people are being demonized and falsely blamed for Magnifico’s economic problems after Queen Vivian’s bloody rise to power. But politics very quickly become more than abstract views to argue about when secret police wolves are deployed throughout the country to kill those born without magical abilities.<br><br>Seventeen-year-old Maximillian’s best friend Katherine is one such nonmagical person. In a bid to keep her safe, Maximillian turns to the queen’s estranged younger brother, a man thought to be dead until recently.<br><br>Prince Stefan is nineteen years old and has been in hiding from his family for years. He has no desire to resurface in the political world. Can Maximillian convince him the country needs him before it’s too late?

In the Name of Magic

I took a deep breath then exited the room and descended the stairs. The entry seemed small with three large secret police wolves and a man dressed as a police officer filling the space.


“You should let me do the talking,” said the man.


“That’s okay.” A wolf growled; its menacing teeth visible. “We need to talk. We’re checking up on Katherine Brownskeeper’s friends to see if they’ve seen her.”


And no, the wolf speaking wasn’t an error since animals could talk in Magnifico. That made the wolves scarier, though, since their tone was usually one of gleeful malice.


“No. I haven’t seen her. In fact, I haven’t seen her since she dropped by with a note that she wanted me to give to her boyfriend. They broke up recently,” I said.


“That’s what her boyfriend said,” replied the second wolf.


“You spoke to her boyfriend?” I asked.


The third wolf snarled. “Yes, we did. Not that it’s any of your business.”


“You made it my business when you burst in my front door uninvited,” I spat.


Chapter 21