Magus Rising: Mysteries of Magic, #1

By Tesha Geddes

A lost magic, a dragon of shadows, a hidden world.

Cass

Who else alters the course of their entire life just because they're a little clumsy? I had my whole life planned out: graduate, get a job, move out, and avoid an arranged marriage. Okay, those were more like goals than an actual plan, but they were important. I knew what I wanted out of life, but it all went up in smoke when I cut my hand on a rock. A rock. It wasn't even a big cut, more like a scrape. But now I'm seeing things that don't exist and questioning my sanity. If these things do exist, then I've been lied to my entire life, and centaurs are real and my brother is best friends with a lizard person.

Kion

I am the Shadow Commander. A shadow dragon, and the leader of the Shadow Guard, protector of Shalyssan magic-blooded, hunter of blood witches. I am feared for my shadow magic and battle prowess alike. When a fledgling magus appears for the first time in five centuries, I'm tasked with training her. This may be my hardest mission yet—it would be easier if I knew what I was doing. At least I can still hunt down the blood witch that's on the loose.

*Clean fantasy romance, exciting adventures, and a sarcastic introverted heroine.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Runetome Publishing
• Release date: Oct 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781963233001

Tesha Geddes

Has anyone ever mentioned that it's weird to talk about yourself in third person? Trust me, it is. I love books (obviously). I've always dreamed of being an author and I'm super excited and nervous to share my crazy imaginings with you. I love to bake and spend lots of time looking up recipes, only to realize I don't have the ingredients and I'm too lazy to go to the store. If you want to keep informed on upcoming books and whatever's going on, go to my Facebook page, Tesha Geddes Writes.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Cass

They called me a ninja. I could appear and disappear entirely unnoticed. I could sit next to someone and they’d never know I was there. I could stand in the middle of the group and never be acknowledged. They said I was a ninja, but I said they were just unobservant. I need better friends. However, the thought of making new friends was terrifying and disheartening. Why should I go to the effort of making new friends just to be ignored by an entirely new set of people? No thanks. Better to be ignored by the friends you know than the ones you don’t.

I tried not to let the name bother me, but it did. I’m sure they meant it as a compliment, but it didn’t feel like it. Sure, if I’d been trying to be sneaky, I would have been elated by my success. But that’s just it, I wasn’t. Other people could join the group and they’d be greeted enthusiastically. I was lucky if anyone even looked at me.

If I had a magic power, it’d be invisibility. Strike that. Surely even an invisible person would get more attention than me. People would notice when a chair inexplicably moved, or food vanished without a trace. No, my power would be unnoticeability. More complete than invisibility––I wasn’t something that couldn’t be seen, I was something that wasn’t worth seeing.

The only time I ever felt noticed was at school back in Cardath. I was the best in school there, and the teachers noticed. Of course, the simple fact that they noticed meant I strove even harder for academic excellence. I graduated at the top of my class and earned a scholarship to the prestigious Parth University.

I might have been the top of my class back home, but I was solidly in the middle of the pack here. I was by no means dumb, but this is where the best and brightest came to study. If it hadn’t been for my scholarship, I doubt my parents would have let me attend the university.

Tuition was expensive, but that wasn’t the issue. They (ahem, Mother) didn’t see what good going to university would do. A degree from Parth University opened countless doors for future employment, but that didn’t matter to them. All that mattered to them (mostly Mother) was what kind of suitor I could attract. Mother didn’t care what I wanted for my future—she just wanted me to marry someone rich and influential so she could prosper. Father was more pragmatic, but generally bowed to Mother’s wishes when it came to us kids.

I’m certain the only reason they allowed me to go was because my brother and sister, Jet and Callie, banded together and convinced our parents that Parth University would offer me an unparalleled opportunity to snag someone rich, influential, and intelligent, and wouldn’t that look good? It had taken every ounce of my self control not to gag while they presented their argument to our parents. I certainly wasn’t going to school to snag a husband, but if it swayed my parents, I wasn’t going to argue.

In the end, they agreed, and I’d had three whole years to convince my parents to let me do things my way. I wasn’t opposed to marriage, but I was opposed to being auctioned off to the highest bidder. I’m a person, not a cow. When I married, it was going to be because I’d found someone I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, and not because my parents liked their money and connections.

I tried. I tried so hard for three years to convince them to give me a chance to live my life on my terms, but I failed. In every single letter my mother asked me if I’d caught anyone’s eye yet, or if they’d be hearing wedding bells soon. I was sorely tempted to make up an imaginary suitor, but Mother could sniff out a lie like a bloodhound, and then I’d be in serious trouble.

I walked out of my last test with a heavy sigh. All around me, my classmates walked with relieved smiles and easy stances, but not me. They were glad testing was over, but I wished for one more. One more day, one more class, one more test. Just one more and I could put off the inevitable for just a little longer.

Half of me wanted to stay and the other half wanted to leave. School was comfortable but lonely. I didn’t have close friends here, but I also didn’t have any at home either. Is it wrong of me to want to find somewhere I feel like I belong?

As soon as I got home, Mother’s matchmaking would begin in earnest. She probably already had a line of suitors for me to meet. I dreaded the thought of entertaining suitors. If I couldn’t think of anything to say to people I’d known for three years, what in the world was I going to say to someone I’d never met?

I bit back my frustrations as I lugged my suitcase down the stairs. The rest of my things had been sent ahead a few days ago. I’d never tell Mother this, but I hadn’t even bothered to unpack most of those trunks in the first place. How many outfits did a person really need? I handed my luggage to the driver and climbed into the waiting carriage.

I settled into my seat and tried to find some measure of calm. If Mother’s matchmaking got to be too unbearable, I had other options—my education here saw to that. In between studying for finals, I’d been sending job inquiry letters all across the kingdom. Surely at least one of them would be interested in offering me a job. My parents would never agree to it, but I’d reached my majority a few weeks ago. I didn’t need them to agree—I needed them to remain ignorant of my plans. To that end, not even my siblings knew what I was planning. Thankfully, I’d had the foresight to write a letter instructing the post office to hold all my correspondences. If my mother saw any job offers on her doorstep, she’d get rid of them before I’d have a chance to respond.

I looked across the carriage at my two travel companions, but the girls were already deep in conversation, and I didn’t want to interrupt. I’d met these two girls before, so we weren’t complete strangers, even if I couldn’t remember their names. I could recite some of my textbooks by heart, but names and faces of people I knew tended to slip through my fingers like water.

I knew these girls were both younger than me, and would be back here next year for school, and I envied them. What I wouldn’t give for just one more year of freedom. Cloistered in the gray stone walls of Parth University might not seem like freedom to some, but it was to me. I was free to study, to learn, to stretch my mind.

When I got home, I’d be expected to be social, witty, graceful, and a thousand other things. In short, I was expected to be everything I wasn’t. Mother’s expectations weighed on me like a giant invisible millstone. I knew I’d never measure up to her picture of a perfect daughter, and I was tired of trying. I wasn’t a social butterfly. I was a studious squirrel—I liked to read, but loud noises scared me away, and I collected books like squirrels hoard nuts, or like dragons hoard gold.

The drive back to Cardath would take five days in good conditions and I prayed for rain. I glanced out the window and stifled a sigh—it seemed the Fates were not inclined to grant my request. Perhaps if I hadn’t been asking for selfish reasons, they might have been more inclined to send rain. Maybe I should try convincing myself I want the rain for the crops.

We rolled into the first small town, Inneston, just as the sun was setting. The carriage dropped us in front of the inn and we quietly walked through the front door. Well, I walked quietly, the other two girls hadn’t ceased chattering at each other the entire drive.

I looked around the bustling dining area, my heart sinking. It was busier than I’d ever seen it. We’d be lucky if we could secure a room for the night.

Excuse me, the older of the two said, catching the innkeeper’s attention.

Yes, miss ...? the elderly innkeeper asked, hurrying over to greet us.

Imelda, the young woman supplied, and this is my friend, Alice. She nodded at the other young woman. We need to rent some rooms for the night.

Ah, yes, the innkeeper said, his eyes flitting between the two young women. I’m afraid I only have one small room available.

I sighed in relief. One was better than none. I’m sure we could all squeeze in for a night.

But it has two beds, the innkeeper continued.

We’ll take it, Imelda said, reaching into her purse for payment.

Would you happen to have a spare cot as well? I asked.

The old man glanced back at me in surprise, clearly noticing me for the first time. I’m afraid not, miss. Even if I did, I’m afraid there wouldn’t be any space for it as the room is tiny.

Of course. I should have spoken up sooner. I should have been the one to ask about lodging first, but even if I had, I knew I would have given the room to Imelda and Alice. Better that I was put out than one of them. If one or both of them had to secure different lodgings because of me, they’d likely make the rest of the journey unbearable.

I see, I said, forcing myself to smile. I clasped my hands behind my back to hide their shaking. Why did talking to strangers affect me so much? Is there another inn where I may secure lodgings?

The innkeeper looked at me sympathetically. I’m afraid the only other inn is on the other side of town, and I can hardly recommend it to a lone young woman. However, you could check with Miss Whittler. I know she has a room she sometimes lets out. If you’ll wait here a moment, I’ll get you the directions.

I pursed my lips and prayed with everything in me that Miss Whittler’s was easy to get to and that she had room for me. I didn’t fear walking in the dark—I feared getting lost in the dark. My poor sense of direction was a thing of legend. I’m sure if a bard knew me, they’d write a song about it, some sort of funny ditty about the girl who could solve complex algorithms in her head but couldn’t find her way out of a paper bag.

The innkeeper hurried away to show Imelda and Alice to their room and I walked over to the side of the room where I wouldn’t be in the way. It seemed to take forever for him to return, but when he did, he held a scrap of paper in one hand and a lit lantern in the other. He scanned the room, but his eyes slid right over me.

I sighed and walked over to him. He didn’t notice me until I was standing right next to him.

Oh! There you are! Here’s the directions. She lives on the outskirts of town, but it should be easy to get there, he said, handing me the scrap of paper and the lantern. Bring the lantern back in the morning. He hesitated, looking apologetic. I’d send someone with you, but I really can’t spare anyone right now.

I understand, I said with a smile. I did and didn’t at the same time. I understood his people were busy, but I’d be a pretty easy target for anyone with nefarious intentions. Surely my safety was more important than someone’s tea? Then again, I suppose my safety was really only a priority for me. Perhaps the innkeeper would feel differently if I was murdered and my ghost started haunting him.

I shook the morbid thoughts from my head as I left the inn; they’d do me no good and only serve to make me jump at every shadow. I looked at the spidery writing on the paper under the light of the lantern and took a moment to memorize the directions before heading out.

Twenty minutes later I was standing on the outskirts of town, with a sinking feeling that I’d taken a wrong turn somewhere. It was fully dark now, and the sliver of moon did little to light the way. Thank goodness for the lantern. I glanced down at the directions again, but they were exactly as I’d memorized them. The innkeeper did say Miss Whittler lived just outside town, so maybe I was on the right track. I chewed my lip and peered down the path, but the darkness and towering trees combined to battle against my feeble lantern light.

I continued down the lane for a few minutes until I saw a small footpath branch off to the left, exactly where the directions said it would be. I breathed a sigh of relief—for once, I was on the right track. Almost giddy with relief, I hurried down the path, fully expecting to see the house soon.

Ten minutes later, I begrudgingly admitted defeat. I was not on the right path. I turned around to retrace my steps, but stopped short, my heart freezing in fear. The path was gone. The darkness had swallowed the path so completely, it was as if it wasn’t even there. And it might not have been. I might have unwittingly stepped off the path and not even realized it.

I hunted around for a few minutes but found no trace of the path. I was well and truly lost. I groaned and sank against a large boulder, cursing my own stupidity. Only now that I was lost in the woods at night did it occur to me that I could have asked our driver to escort me. For someone supposedly intelligent, I was an idiot.

I could picture my epitaph: She was too smart for common sense. I snorted to myself. I’d only get something like that if my brother was in charge of the inscription. If it was my mother, I’d probably get something flowery and gag-worthy. Father would give me something perfunctory, probably just my name, birthdate and deathdate. Callie would likely give me something whimsical, most likely something along the lines of: I’m off to swim with dolphins now.

I shook the morbid thoughts out of my head. I needed to figure out what I was going to do now. What did they always say to do if you got lost in the woods? I never really paid attention, considering I’d never planned on traipsing through the woods on my own.

I thought I recalled someone once saying if you got lost, you were supposed to stay put so the search party could find you. Of course, that implied there was going to be a search party to begin with. Would anyone notice I was missing? Hopefully, but there was no guarantee. At the very least, my family would notice when I wasn’t home in five days, but I’d probably be dead by then.

Whatever ended up happening, I knew I wouldn’t be able to do anything tonight. I needed to find shelter. I could plan my next move when I could see more than three feet in front of me. I doubted I’d be able to find a cave soon, and if I did, it was probably already claimed by some vicious creature. If I could just find a sturdy tree with low enough branches, I could climb it to relative safety for the night. I probably wouldn’t get any sleep, but at least I’d be safe from wolves and other things that might try to eat me in the night. Wolves can’t climb trees, right?

I leaned on the boulder as I rose to my feet, but my hand slipped and I hissed as something sharp dug into my soft skin. I held the lantern up to examine my hand and frowned at the tiny red line that had opened up on my palm. It probably wouldn’t scar, but it would make climbing the tree more difficult, and if I didn’t protect it, it could get infected. More than that, I worried that the blood would attract predators. It was only a little blood, but I didn’t know how sensitive their noses were.

Grumbling, I bent to tear a strip of fabric from the hem of my dress. I wobbled as I stood, and leaned against the boulder with my injured hand for balance. Suddenly, ground beneath my feet gave out. I was too surprised to even scream as I tumbled and slid down a smooth stone surface. I curled my arms protectively over my face and head as I continued to slide. Rocks and dirt bounced off me as the debris joined my descent. It seemed to last forever and no time at all.

Chapter 2

Cass

When I finally stopped, I quickly patted myself down and wiggled my fingers and toes. Everything seemed to be in working order; a little battered and bruised, but still working. I carefully stood up and took stock of my situation. I’d slid down what was clearly a steep, man-made tunnel. The walls were too smooth and even to have occurred naturally. I considered trying to walk back up the slope but discarded that idea. I was probably safer down here than up there. At the very least, this solved my issue of shelter for the night.

The tunnel terminated at a large, empty, circular chamber. There were faint markings on the wall, but I wasn’t close enough to make any of them out. The chamber and tunnel ceilings were both high enough I could stand up straight. If I stretched, my fingertips could just barely brush the tunnel ceiling. However, it would take two, possibly two and a half of me to reach the chamber ceiling.

It wasn’t until I picked my dark and shattered lantern up off the floor that I realized that it wasn’t my source of light. I looked around wildly, hoping I hadn’t somehow missed a camp of bandits or something. Thankfully, I wasn’t that oblivious.

The light appeared to be coming from the floor at the center of the room. Cautiously, I crept forward. I didn’t see how the floor could be glowing, unless it was set above a fire or something. But the floor was cool and the light didn’t flicker like a flame. It was steady as sunshine but gave off no warmth. The white glow was soft and inviting.

The floor was caked in a layer of dust, but I could still see a hint of carvings etched into the stone. I crept closer to the source of light, intrigued by the mystery of the place. It looked like such a simple room, but it was unlike any room I’d ever heard of before. Who built this place and why? The thick layer of dust made it feel abandoned, but the light said it wasn’t.

I reached the edge of the light source. It was a large circular disk set into the floor, big enough for me to stand on. Like everything else, it was covered in dust. Using one hand, I brushed the dust off a small portion of the edge to reveal a glowing crystal. The crystal was flat and impossibly smooth. Is it glass? Eager to learn more, I brushed the dirt away with both hands.

I grimaced when a few drops of blood smeared the surface of the crystal. The grimace turned into a gasp of pain as fire shot up my arm. There were no flames, but my blood burned. Desperately, I tried to pull my hand off the crystal, but it was stuck fast, the burning feeling spreading, climbing up my arm with every beat of my heart.

The pain was intense and it spread up my arm, over my shoulder, through my heart, and branched out to the rest of my body. It shot down my legs and climbed up my neck. All I could do was curl in a ball and whimper in pain. My eyes burned, and I squeezed them shut, hoping it would help. It didn’t—nothing did.

After what felt like hours, but was probably only minutes, the pain abated. My skin still felt a bit prickly, but that might simply have been due to being so filthy. The crystal released whatever hold it had on me, and I snatched my hand back, cradling it against my chest. I opened my eyes cautiously and gasped.

Colors glimmered all around me. Circular runes etched into the walls glowed a rainbow of colors. I sat up and stared around the room in wonder. Not every rune was lit, probably only about a quarter of them, but it was still impressive. I didn’t know what caused the runes to glow, but they were incredible. I’d studied several obscure languages at school, but I’d never seen anything like this.

Most languages were written linearly or vertically, but these runes were written in two concentric circles. I wasn’t sure how, but as I read the runes, I understood what they meant. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say