A Wizard's Choice

By Maya Tyler

Dreams or duty?

Wizard apprentice Kurtis Warde doesn’t want to become a full-fledged wizard, but he feels obligated to his grandfather who raised him. Making The Choice, whether or not to become a wizard and join The Circle, doesn’t feel like a choice at all. Leaving The Circle would give Kurtis the freedom to follow his own dreams, and to pursue vampiress, Dee, who has always intrigued him. He knows there’s more to Dee than the icy being she portrays, but will she give him a chance to know the real her?

There is unrest in the magical world. Fairies, a magical being thought to be long extinct, still exist. And the long-time feud between wizards and fairies threatens everyone Kurtis cares about, including his life coach, Alina, who has quickly become a close friend. And perhaps more. He discovers his connection to the ancient beings The Annunaki, the ancestors of wizards and fairies, may be key to the future. The more he uncovers, the more questions he has.

Will Kurtis choose to follow his heart or risk sacrificing his own happiness for peace in the magical world?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tirgearr Publishing
• Release date: Oct 4, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463675410

Book preview

Dreams or duty?

Wizard apprentice Kurtis Warde doesn’t want to become a full-fledged wizard, but he feels obligated to his grandfather who raised him. Making The Choice, whether or not to become a wizard and join The Circle, doesn’t feel like a choice at all. Leaving The Circle would give Kurtis the freedom to follow his own dreams, and to pursue vampiress, Dee, who has always intrigued him. He knows there’s more to Dee than the icy being she portrays, but will she give him a chance to know the real her?

There is unrest in the magical world. Fairies, a magical being thought to be long extinct, still exist. And the long-time feud between wizards and fairies threatens everyone Kurtis cares about, including his life coach, Alina, who has quickly become a close friend. And perhaps more. He discovers his connection to the ancient beings The Annunaki, the ancestors of wizards and fairies, may be key to the future. The more he uncovers, the more questions he has.

Will Kurtis choose to follow his heart or risk sacrificing his own happiness for peace in the magical world?

A WIZARD'S CHOICE

The Magicals, #2

Maya Tyler

Published by Tirgearr Publishing

Author Copyright 2019 Maya Tyler

Cover Art: EJR Digital Art (http://www.evernightdesigns.com)

Editor: Sharon Pickrel

Proofreader: Lucy Felthouse

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away. If you would like to share this book, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not given to you for the purpose of review, then please log into the publisher’s website and purchase your own copy.

Thank you for respecting our author’s hard work.

This story is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, incidents are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

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DEDICATION

For my wonderful support team of family and friends. It takes a village to raise a child…and (apparently) write a book. Thank you for your constant encouragement for my dream. You knew I could do it. For all my readers and every booklover out there. Anonymous said it best: A book a day keeps reality away.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I’d like to thank my parents for teaching me to read. Reading amazing books inspires me to write. I’d like to thank all my favorite authors out there for writing the books I love to read.

I’d also like to thank the talented editors at Tirgearr Publishing for their invaluable support, and to my dedicated publisher for the opportunity to make A Wizard’s Choice a reality.

A WIZARD'S CHOICE

The Magicals, #2

Maya Tyler

Prologue

Before the dawn of man, archaeologists believe The Anunnaki came to Earth. They were a spacefaring, advanced civilization drawn here to its epicenter of magic. Folklore suggests they were angels or aliens. Did they actually exist? The answer was a mystery. Until now. The Anunnaki are real, and I am their descendant.

Evanston, Illinois

Thirty Years Ago

Waldor Warde stood on the veranda of his small cottage in the woods, staring into the darkness. He waited like an ever-expectant sentinel on that starless night. The painful sting of regret crushed him, and he scowled. He couldn’t change the past.

Oscar, his grey-striped tabby cat, curled around Waldor’s legs.

You must think me a foolish man, Oscar.

Oscar purred in response, his perceptive green eyes scrutinizing his owner.

The cottage door creaked open, and a tall man wearing a dark blue robe peered from the dwelling. Waldor, come in.

One more minute, Goran.

You’ve been standing watch here every night for months. You must face facts, Waldor. Niall’s not coming back.

With a defeated sigh, Waldor turned his head toward the cottage door. I shouldn’t have said what I did.

It was true then, and it remains true now. If your son wasn’t meant to become a wizard, then leaving The Circle was his only choice. Goran extended his hand.

With a newfound resolve, Waldor clasped his friend’s hand. Quiet strength and power surged through the connection. After a brief moment, they both entered the cottage.

Several pairs of eyes trained their gaze on Goran and Waldor as they took their places on the round rug.

With all members of the wizard guild now present, Goren tapped his wand in the air to begin the meeting. A loud popping noise drew all eyes on him. Any new business?

This group of wizards, called The Circle, were the appointed guardians of the supernatural world. They served as protectors and defenders for both magicals and humans. The Circle, a centuries-old, covert organization, came with its own set of governing rules.

Waldor spoke up. It has been a year since I gave my son The Choice. As he left and has not yet returned, I must conclude he has chosen to live as a human.

Silence followed his statement, although many knowing glances were exchanged. The meeting continued as if Waldor had not spoken.

"Have any new magicals been located?"

Any development of new spells?

Any new appeals for help?

Any other updates to report since our last meeting?

As usual, answers were thrown out without ceremony until all topics had been covered. The other wizards left one by one until only Waldor remained. He sat in his favorite easy chair, shoulders slumped, eyes trained on the door. He resisted resuming his perch on the veranda, but his thoughts remained centered on his son.

At least that’s how my grandfather likes to put it; he always had a flair for the dramatic.

This night, after his verbal admission to The Circle, the endless quiet seemed too much to bear. For twenty years, he had the company of his precocious son. He should have known Niall, the namesake of an indomitable Irish king, would never lead the quiet, solitary life of a wizard. Waldor regretted his insistence Niall make The Choice. Niall never followed the rules, balked at authority, and mocked the wizard’s creed:

"To the guild, I pledge my life;

In apprenticeship;

Until I make The Choice.

To choose the life of my brethren wizards;

Or live my days among the humans.

The wizard has a higher purpose;

To the supernatural world, as a guardian;

Sworn to protect, to defend, in secret.

Focused, without distraction.

Committed to the pledge;

Until the years are gone;

And my body returns home."

Well, Niall made his choice. And Waldor had to live with it. He, of all people, understood the temptations of the outside world. In his youth, before he made The Choice, he ventured into the unknown and met a beautiful Irish girl named Meg. They formed an instant connection, falling deeply in love. Waldor, terrified of losing Meg, stayed in the human world. Perhaps he knew they lived on borrowed time.

Even now his memories of Meg seemed so vivid. His time with her seemed like yesterday. When he closed his eyes, he could picture her running barefoot through long grass in the meadow. She would pause to pick wildflowers, then laugh as she tossed them in the air. The sunlight illuminated her thick, wavy hair, making it shine like a new copper kettle. Everything about her was magical; especially the fact that she was not at all magical. A curious girl with a thirst for adventure, she lit up his dreary world and made him want more than mere existence.

An ear-shattering scream preceded her last breath. Her eyes closed, and her face relaxed in peace. Then she was gone. With her vibrant hair fanned over the white pillow, she appeared to be sleeping. His breath hitched with despair as he wished for a different outcome. He focused on her—willing her to move or open her eyes—while the activity in the room moved in a blur around him.

The nurse handed him a wiggly form wrapped in a blue flannel blanket. What’s his name? Her kind eyes crinkled in the corners as she smiled.

Niall. He looked down at the wee babe in his arms, so defenseless, so alone in the world. And he realized he was the helpless one, unable to save Meg. He was the one on his own, alone in a world that now seemed dark and foreign. Returning home with his infant son, he accepted his fate and made the choice to become a wizard. An irrevocable decision that changed more than his outward appearance.

Under the sparkly haze of magic, he transformed into a full-fledged wizard of The Circle. Instantly, he became an old man, part of the disguise to conceal their true ages and divert attention from their many secrets.

That was a long time ago. Waldor and Niall were much alike. Would history repeat itself? Would Niall return?

Oscar purred. Waldor bent over absentmindedly to pet him. In response, Oscar arched his back and rubbed against Waldor’s pant leg.

Are you trying to tell me it’s bedtime?

Oscar padded toward Waldor’s bedroom. A few minutes later, he found Oscar curled into a little ball on his bed, content. Carefully hanging up his dark blue robe in the closet, he selected a pair of plaid flannel pajamas to wear to bed. He closed his eyes and wished with great desperation that his son would return home.

After a few hours of restless sleep, Waldor acknowledged the inevitable and rose to make coffee. In his half-conscious state, he almost missed the soft mewing sound coming from the seldom-used, enclosed back porch off the kitchen.

What in the world? he asked no one in particular, just in utter disbelief at the strange package left on his doorstep. It appeared to be an ordinary brown cardboard box, but this specific box was shaking and making noise. Is it a kitten? He lifted the flaps and peered into the box.

It was not a kitten in the box at all. It was me.

A baby. Waldor’s eyes widened. His sleepiness vanished in an instant, and his senses converged on high alert as he assessed the situation. The baby appeared to be healthy with a pink face. Cushioned among a nest of blue blankets, he didn’t feel cold to the touch despite the cool fall morning. Who are you? Waldor searched the box for anything to explain the boy’s sudden appearance. He found a little note card which read Kurtis. Kurtis, are you— He choked back the question, feeling overcome with emotion. There could be no other explanation. He gazed down at Niall’s child, and his twice-broken heart shattered once again.

As he scooped the baby into his arms, he sensed the unmistakable resonance of magic covering the baby like a protective cocoon. Unaware of anything amiss, Kurtis’ little rosebud mouth formed a perfect oval as he yawned. Without an explanation, Waldor’s imagination ran unchecked. How could Niall abandon his baby? Where was Kurtis’ mother? Who was Kurtis’ mother? Waldor wrinkled his eyebrows together. It was easier to accuse Niall of abandonment than consider the alternative. Was Niall dead? Or in serious trouble? Stroking the baby’s dewy hair, he agonized over the future of the baby, for now, completely dependent on him.

Waldor’s familiar surroundings faded away as he pictured the sterile hospital environment from another time. He held a small baby in his arms. What’s his name? the nurse asked. Niall, he replied. Waldor shook off the eerie feeling of déjà vu as he returned to the present and his snug back porch. Yes, he had been here before, in the same situation. Disconnected from the world. Alone with a baby. Found making the same decision to raise the child, his grandson.

Little one. He rocked the little bundle wrapped in a blue checkered blanket. I don’t know how you got here, but everything will be all right now. I will care for you. I will keep you safe. Until. He thought the word, fearing to speak it aloud. As if the unspoken word had the power to direct the future and could summon the boy’s parents to take him away or drive the boy to leave on his own. Like Niall did.

I always felt safe with Waldor. Loved and cherished. Until it was my turn to make The Choice.

Chapter One

Evanston, Illinois

Present Day

It was an unspoken rule, among the many rules, in our house; we didn’t speak of my father. I wanted to please my grandfather, make him proud of me, and erase the pain my father caused. I knew the story of how I came to live with Waldor. But I didn’t know my father—beyond a hazy memory which was likely a dream and not a real memory at all. It would be fair to say I had no knowledge of him, no clue where he lived, no idea if he was even alive or dead. I knew even less of my mother. Waldor was my only parent, possibly the only person around with answers, and I couldn’t ask him any of my questions.

Thick, dusty tomes covered the scarred wooden table in the middle of the kitchen. Kurtis Warde brushed off the thick layer of grime coating one book and opened it up. The musty smell of an old book assaulted his senses as the cover opened with a reluctant creak. He doubted these ancient texts would even be applicable to modern wizardry. The days of adding toe of frog to hair of dog were long gone. Yes, incantations and spells created magic, but it evolved with the times. Kurtis considered himself to be a modern wizard. He liked technology and all the possibilities and potential that came with it. The Circle kept peace among the supernaturals and guarded the fragile barrier between the magical and human worlds. But providing magical security services and conflict resolution wasn’t exactly a glamorous job.

How are you doing, my boy?

Kurtis sat up straight in his chair. Waldor, you startled me.

Which book are you reading?

Uh. Kurtis checked the cover of the book. The History of Spell Making.

Waldor chuckled. "You might find The History of Wizardry more interesting. He settled down into the chair next to Kurtis’. It shows the development of the practice over the last three thousand years or so. You might be surprised to learn our ancient predecessors were actually quite advanced."

Kurtis responded with a non-committal shrug.

"Even in the very beginning, wizards used the world, and elements around them, to create magic. Finding their strange abilities frightening, humans decided to hunt and destroy them, rather than seek understanding.