Lyla's life is planned. In a few months, she'll be leaving her stifling small village and the vicious rumors that have marked her as unsuitable to be anyone's wife, for the endless opportunities of the large port city of Balast. There she will finish her training as a magical healer, join an adventuring team, and see the world beyond the mountainous valleys of the High Passes that she's lived in her whole life.

Then a tragedy strikes.

Lyla doesn't know the secret that the soldier who saved her life is keeping from her. Worse yet, she doesn't know that he accidentally bound himself to her when he saved her life and that without her he will slowly lose his mind. What she does know is that her parents, the village elders, and even her best friend, are falling all over themselves to marry her off to this nearly perfect stranger with far too many muscles for her to take him seriously.

Can she escape this unexpected marriage that is messing up her plans for greatness? Will she even want to? Or will this be exactly the kind of adventure she was hoping for all along?





Do you love reading about the Mages of the Empire of Man?  Try my book "Lines of Inheritance" The first of a series about the conflict between the Empire of Man, The Matriarchy, And The Priestess Isles.

Or check out my web series "Inheritance" and read about the political intrigue within The Matriarchy and the uneasy truce they have with the Orc Horde.

Empire of Man - Book 1: The First Empress

“Yessss.” Rengard hissed through clenched teeth. “She’s mine, but she’s smiling at him! But I know that she’s not mine and her smile was just a smile.” Standing very still and stiff helped. That was what he had done as a child when his magic tried to bubble its way out of his body without permission. 


“I’m losing my mind. I just want her. I can smell her from here and she’s over two hundred feet away. I can taste her lips still. This isn’t right. This isn’t normal. It must be the Madness.” 


“Tell me honestly…” Wroth sighed. “…What happens if you don’t get the girl?” Wroth tried to be supportive. But he’d already had to put down three imperial sons who lost their minds to the Chaos Magic which created them. 


Chapter 12 - She’s Mine