CaptainSarcastic101

The world of Para Dormus is a complicated place full of dragons, demons, magic and mystery. No one knows that more than Nivara Cross. Burdened with a grimoire too powerful to hide with mist magic alone, Nivara longs to help her fellow Traited who struggle with the same fate. But she is powerless to help.Tasked instead with locating an unusual, black grimoire, truths get tangled together as Nivara struggles to hide her past and her power from those attempting to replace her. With more and more Traited trying to find the lost grimoire of the Night Rider, she has no choice but to involve Hawkins, an unsuspecting detective with an unusual Trait of his own.As their goals drift apart and the separation proves more than necessary, Hawkins realizes a much bigger threat faces them. A young girl with an unstoppable Trait threatens to disrupt the peace from beyond Nivara's reach.Can secrets remain hidden and Cricket's power be stopped? Or are Hawkins and Nivara too late to save the black grimoire from her clutches?…

CaptainSarcastic101

Storms tended to bring change. Solving Neridia's first ever murder case wasn't exactly what Nemera had in mind.The overworked yet semi-retired bartender had seen her fair share of death and destruction within a world full of dragons and demons. But when Aidari Rainheart, a young Stormspell elf is accused of murdering one of her own, Nemera is dragged in to follow in her former Master's footsteps. Whether she liked it or not.The role of the Night Rider is a heavy burden to carry and without the usual comforts of following others' lead, Nemera finds herself drawn to secrets hidden deep within the Brink. But nothing is ever that easy when elves are involved and much like a good mead, the truth starts to get a lot murkier the more she delves in.Especially when Aidari turns out to be hiding far more than any elf in Neridia.Caught between a peace treaty, the aftermath of war and a complicated relationship with a happy go lucky pyro spirit things go from bad to worse when Nemera learns who exactly the victims are. Political coups turn into a full on power vacuum and how poisoning a dragon could lead to the murder of two of the most prominent elves in history. After all, killing an immortal race had never been done before.Somehow, Nemera has to learn to put aside her biases, her booze and most importantly, her bad mood to help those truly in need and maybe get a free tip at the end of the day. With a healthy dose of wit and a sobering reminder of what every Traited faces, perhaps her Master's last wish was for her to become something more than being a drop in the barrel.…

CaptainSarcastic101

#SHORTLISTED 2023When Ixis became the second in command to the Throneholder of Opalis she expected rules, patrols and structure for her Fire Trait to shine. Not being caught in the middle of a looming war and a botched assassination she should've succeeded at. In an attempt to drown her sorrows and flee from the looming expectations of helping to lead a war against the demons that threaten their world, Ixis is injured through mysterious circumstances. Forced to return home, the last thing she expects to find is the assassin she couldn't kill pleading for her help.........Rider wasn't much of an assassin.Burdened by her past, her curse, and the trauma of what the Throneholder of Opalis did to her, she fully expected the reunion with her old flame to go exactly the way she planned. But when Rider has no choice but to flee her quest for answers, the last person she expected to help her was Ixis: Lady Aria's new Regent. Once they were allies. Now they are enemies. But despite their differing loyalties, they are forced to learn a little more about the circumstances and choices that slowly change everything they thought they knew about each other. Especially when Ixis' Fire Trait begins to heal and for the first time in years, Rider's curse decides to let her.When their begrudging respect unravels into more than just a friendship, they both must choose whether duty or revenge is more important than the love that grows between them. But the demons wait for no one.…

CaptainSarcastic101

With a dream in tatters and another soon to follow suit, Sybil Nightspun still longs for the storytelling days of her apprenticeship. Once a promising Nightspun initiate, now a soil tilling Outcropper she spends her days breaking shovels, resenting her mother and avoiding the High Nightcaster's wrath.But with fields to plough and Sunspell to keep in check her dreams of old and new come crashing down when her faithful jackalope familiar Dewdrop stirs up more than just tall tales from long ago.Can Sybil overcome her families bloodline or will it change more than just her dream?(Cover by @dumplingbabe)…

CaptainSarcastic101

Cloud Elfari is a sylph with the power over Folka: magic that is created through music. There's only one problem. She can't sing. With the title of Elfidari she is expected to rule as her mother did but without her Folka she is seen as unfit. With no other option, she participates in a race against the other four tribes.Cloud has no doubt she can fly faster than anyone in the Four Sectors but when she is lured by magic she's never seen before, things go off course pretty quickly. She gets forced into a contract by a Traited with a family who does more harm than good.Every sylph had heard the stories of the Traited: the race who were cursed to seek out power but forced to join with another to do so. But when her tribe is at risk and she has no choice but to rely on Swift's power can the two work together to overcome what's ahead? Or will they lose their souls forever?…