Mattes stared blankly into his ceiling, cursing his insomnia for what had to be the hundredth time of the week. Glancing at his clock, he realized he’d been laying in bed for at least two hours and was no closer to falling asleep than he’d been when he’d first laid down.
Throwing his sheets off his body, Mattes turned on his lamp with a flick of his magic and leapt from his bed. As he’d come to realize over the years, when he couldn’t fall asleep, it was better for him to get up and start doing something, even if that something was as simple as reading a book. Sometimes having an easy task to concentrate on would help tire out his brain and enable him to fall asleep, and sometimes it wouldn’t. Mattes had the feeling tonight would prove to be a sleepless night, no matter what he did.
Something’s going to happen, he thought, walking over to his desk and picking up the last picture he had of his sister. If it hasn’t already happened. The question remains if I’ll be strong enough to survive it.
Sinister plots, enchanted objects, dangerous secrets, and new challenges looming around every corner. A group of friends, each with their own strengths and abilities, united in the face of evil. One girl with the power to rise against the darkness threatening her world.
‘Normal’ ceased to be a word in fifteen-year-old Acacia Wheatley’s vocabulary, at least when used to describe her own life. Almost a year has passed since Acacia discovered the existence of magic, the supernatural world surrounding her, and her own identity as ‘the Heir of Swansgrove’, the heir to a powerful magical lineage with the power to vanquish the rising powers of darkness. After all, the existence of magic wasn’t the problem, the existence of dark mages, namely a man by the name of Sisyphus was. Months after Acacia’s last encounter with Sisyphus, she is still learning about the magical world she was thrust into, from the infamous Underground located under the streets of Silent Springs to the ever-present Council of Mages and their shocking history. As she continues to adjust to the power and responsibility of being the Heir of Swansgrove, Acacia finds herself learning more and more about her friends as well, from the Swiatkowskis’ tenuous connection with the Council, the nature of Onawa’s Dragon-Speaking, and the precarious governance exerted by Mattes in the Underground. Mysteries abound as does danger. As the year goes on, Acacia keeps hearing of a dark magic ritual, the Curse of the Black Dragon, which if performed, could throw the magical world into turmoil. Will Acacia be able to master her growing powers and learn to not only fight, but lead in time to stop Sisyphus and his allies from another assault on the magical community that she has become a part of?
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The Reluctant Lord
Pritchett, K. J. and Robinson, Karen and Briggs, Jessi
The Reluctant Lord, even dragons love it!
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