Sired by magick and violence, sixteen-year-old Liara is found guilty of witchcraft and banished from her tiny village by the very priest who raised, then betrayed her. However, a mysterious mage steps forward to assume custody of her: Nagarath, the Wizard of Parentino, whose secret spellwork has long protected both Liara and Dvigrad from the ravages of war. Despite Liara's best hopes, Nagarath refuses to apprentice her to his craft but tasks her instead with the restoration of his neglected library. Liara gleans what magickal knowledge she can on the sly, determined to learn, come what may. But the first test of her stolen knowledge goes awry and renews an evil wizard's interest in the people of the Limska Draga valley. Only by tapping Liara's inherent magick and joining it with his own can Nagarath protect Parentino from suffering a horrible fate. However, her discovery of his secrets destroys their fragile trust and ignites the darker tendencies of her gift. Now, he must rescue her from the influence of his mortal enemy before their powerful new alliance destroys them all.

Being the first volume chronicling the story of Britain's wizard spies.

Before Baker Street, there was Montague. Before partnership with a former army doctor recently returned from Afghanistan, Sherlock Holmes had but the quiet company of his own great intellect. Solitary he might be but, living as he did for the thrill of the chase, it was enough. For a little while, at the least, it was enough. That is, until a client arrives at his door with a desperate plea and an invitation into a world of societal scandal and stage door dandies. Thrust deep in an all-consuming role and charged with the safe-keeping of another, Holmes must own to his limits or risk danger to others besides himself in this the case of the aluminium crutch.

"I speak of magic, Mr. Holmes."Poor Mr. Percy Simmons, leader of London's Theosophical Order of Odic Forces, stands upon the hearth rug of 221B Baker Street, slowly mangling his hat brim through ill-concealed distress. His is not a case which Mr. Sherlock Holmes would ordinarily take up. Nor is Mr. Simmons a person with whom the detective would ordinarily choose to work, what with his case being connected with that of another client for whom Holmes must maintain the professional discretion of silence.These are not ordinary times, however. And when, in his next breath, the dedicated occultist evokes the idea of good and evil, Holmes is seized with curiosity. The call of something fantastical, something other than the commonplace crime, sounds a note within in his soul. For Sherlock has longed for peace; had spent three years in search of answers, in search of some reasonable, logical explanation of how the universe works. This while the world thought him dead. This while, for all intents, constructions, and purposes, he was dead.But, six months ago, Sherlock Holmes returned to Baker Street, declared himself alive to friend and foe alike, took up his old rooms, his profession, and his partnership with Dr. J. Watson. Only to still be haunted by the question of: Why?Why good? Why evil? Why had Holmes survived when his enemy had not? And to what purpose?

I am afraid that I, Sherlock Holmes, must act as my own chronicler in this singular case, that of the Whitechapel murders of 1888. For the way in which the affair was dropped upon my doorstep left me with little choice as to the contrary. Not twelve months prior, the siren's call of quiet domesticity and married life had robbed me of Watson's assistance as both partner and recorder of my cases. Thus, when detective inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard required a lead-any lead-I found myself forced to pursue Jack the Ripper alone and without the aid of my faithful friend. And all for the most damnedable of reasons: Early on in my investigations, Dr. John H. Watson, formerly of 221b Baker Street, emerged as my prime suspect.

England, 1680 A. D. Liara and Nagarath's enemy has unexpectedly come to their aid, surrendering to the magick-suppressing forces of the king of France so as to buy time for their escape. But that doesn't necessarily mean Anisthe is on their side. Vrsar's war mage, Liara's father-in-magick, has never been a man do to things for others. And he has always has plans within plans. In fleeing to England with his apprentice, the Wizard Nagarath realizes that Liara's power is no longer her own to command. With the shattering of Khariton's magick mirror in the Palace of Versailles, the young woman has become trapped in an alliance with the ancient and evil mage. What is more, at eighteen-years-old, her life remains tied to Anisthe's for another two years per the Laws of Magick. Anisthe, who is now imprisoned for having helped them evade the king's spellpiercers. Forced to revisit his own past, Nagarath is finally learning that there are some histories you cannot outrun. As for Liara, the darkness within her heart is greater than she ever could have imagined. This after Dvigrad's orphaned magpie having finally learned to love. For, in the words of Khariton himself, "In magick you can never have friends. Only rivals."

Delve into myth and legend, where the Fates force post-modern man into a world of the unknown--a world long since dismissed as ignorant superstition.The Brother-Sister Fable by Alyson Grauer: a young boy disappears into a realm where only his sister can follow.Faelad by Sarah Hunter Hyatt: Claire Whitaker didn't even know she was Irish, let alone The Morrigan, the goddess of war.By Skyfall by Emma Michaels: a mer-couple from Atlantis find themselves in the middle of a human murder investigation. Charon's Obol by. R. M. Ridley: Jonathan Alvey didn't believe in gods, until he helps a lost child find her all-powerful parents.Peradventure by Sarah Seeley: a jinni must choose between the woman he loves and destroying the city that persecuted her.Natural Order by Lance Schonberg: when Carlos Vasquez is kidnapped, he discovers powers within himself to change the world.Two Spoons by Danielle E. Shipley: A little girl's soul meets its match in the family diner's most mysterious patron.Grail Days by A. F. Stewart: Living forever has its drawbacks, especially when you spend it clearing away the messes of other immortals.Downward Mobility by M. K. Wiseman: they say love conquers all, but can it save a Valkyrie when she breaks all the rules?

France, 1680 A.D.Liara's defense of the Wizard Nagarath has rendered Anisthe incantate-bereft of all magick-but even this cannot guarantee her safety. Because the death of her father-in-magick would seal the girl's fate, necessity demands she and her wizard maintain a watchful eye on the war mage, while protecting her from his dark designs.Anisthe has embarked on a journey across Europe, aided by his half-fey manservant with an agenda all his own. They search for a legendary mirror that contains the world's most powerful magick. Although the stuff of fairytales, the possibility of its existence compels Nagarath and Liara to seek the artifact themselves. Both know that should Anisthe lay claim to that power, Liara would be at his mercy and not even Nagarath could save her.Thus, the pair find themselves at Versailles, surrounded by agents who ferret out magick users and destroy them. Uncertain who is friend and who is foe, with their rival on their heels, they must discover the mirror before Anisthe releases its evil, or worse, it lays claim to Liara's magick and brings doom upon them all.