The Witch of Arcanoria: Five Queens Prophecy, #0.5

By Sharlene Healy

In the mystical realm of Arcanoria, Airalin, a witch wielding fire and earth magic, discovers a destiny intertwined with power and deceit. Living in her tower on the village fringe, Airalin's fascination with her neighbor's pregnancy unveils a chance to amplify her magic.

 

Navigating through turbulent alliances and betrayals, Airalin's journey is entangled with Tade, a formidable wizard whose thirst for power mirrors her own. Their twisted romance, bound by ambition and rivalry, unfolds in a series of cunning manipulations and magical confrontations.

 

As Airalin's quest for supremacy escalates, her actions blur the lines between heroism and villainy. In a world where magic is both a gift and a curse, Airalin's struggle for dominance culminates in a chilling resolution, leaving her with a future filled with possibilities and perils.

 

"Witch of Arcanoria" is a tale of magical intrigue and ambition, where the pursuit of power comes at a price, and the line between right and wrong is as elusive as a shadow in the night. It is a prequel to Of Shadows and Death and is a new adult happy-for-now villains ever after tale. This book is fade-to-black.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hailstorm Publishing
• Release date: Dec 30, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223290612

Sharlene Healy

Sharlene Healy has been telling stories for as long as she can remember. After many twists and turns, her life road led her to her husband, who encouraged her to participate in NaNoWriMo 2013 while their son was still a baby. She now has four kids and spends most of her time juggling them as best she can. She lives on the West Coast after slowly migrating from Pennsylvania. She loves to read, craft, and generally cause mayhem. She can be found on Facebook, Instagram, Goodreads, and TikTok. If you'd like to discuss her books, join her Facebook Group: Can't Stop Won't Stop Reading or her Discord Channel: Sharlene’s Book Club.

Book preview

The Witch of Arcanoria

Sharlene Healy

Copyright © 2022 by Sharlene Healy

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permission requests, contact [e-mail].

The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this production are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.

Book Cover by Blue Raven Covers

Illustrations by Digital Curio

1 edition 2022

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Acknowledgments

About Author

Chapter 1

Fire flits around my fingertips while I lean against my stone window, staring down at my neighbor’s house. Dreselda is pregnant. Again.

Tade cracks an eye open, his blonde eyelashes fluttering against his cheek, but doesn’t move from my giant bed. Which number is this one, love?

I toss the flames up to the chandelier hanging from the ceiling of my room, lighting the candles. My living quarters, consisting of my bed and kitchen, are small enough that the chandelier lights the room. It’s warm this summer day, but the sun never shines that brightly along my stone walls. How should I know? Sixth, I think?

He grunts, but I ignore him. I walk to my table and open my grimoire. It’s always within my reach. Flipping through my book, I find an old spell to ensure a healthy pregnancy. Maybe I’ll use it. Dreselda is getting older, after all. It would be doable even with the small amount of earth magic I have.

Not looking at Tade, I tell him what I’ve been feeling lately. Maybe I’d like a baby.

He scoffs. Why? They’re nasty little things. Always sticky.

I turn around to look at him. He’s still on my bed, his body relaxed. I walk to my bed and jostle it with my knee. His muscles tense, and I see ice cover his hand before disappearing. I point out my window. Dreselda looks like she’s having fun. I want to have fun, too.

Are you not having fun, Airalin? He pulls me on top of him, and I prop my arms up on his chest, my bright red hair falling in my face. He brushes it out of the way and grins at me, the humor lighting his bright blue eyes.

You know what I mean.

Not really.

I sigh and flip over onto my back. He never understands me. No one ever does, really. I watch the chandelier drift from side to side as a gentle breeze blows through, casting shadows and light along the stone bricks.

My tower is at the edge of a village, a gift from the king the day I had agreed to be on his payroll. It isn’t as grand as some; mine only has two levels. One for my living quarters and another for my working space. Tade’s tower has six levels, although what he does with them, I have no idea. I’ve only ever seen his bedroom. Sometimes it irks me to have a smaller one, but not enough to bring the matter to the king. I would rather have a castle, anyway.

A pigeon flies in, landing next to us.