Of Blood & Secrets

Copyright © 2023 by T. B. Wiese 1-12644890205 This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Cover design by GetCovers Map by biblopolium on Fiverr Keir hound chapter art by Jade Merien Editor: Bookschecked ISBN: 978-1-959657-04-0 ebook ISBN: 978-1-959657-05-7 paperback ISBN: 978-1-959657-06-4 hardcover To Asta You kept going, so I knew Thaeia could keep going too. “Push past your limits.” - Captain Yami of the Black Bulls CONTENTS Author’s Note pronunciation guide What came before Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Don’t worry, you won’t have to wait long to find out what happens next Also by T. B. Wiese Acknowledgments About the Author AUTHOR’S NOTE **Please take care of yourself and your mental health Of Blood & Secrets is an ADULT fantasy that contains elements such as: abuse, anxiety, explosions, blood, torture, death, forced suicide, infanticide, emotional abuse, gore, violence, physical abuse, profanity, PTSD, light religion, sexually explicit scenes, and it ends on a cliffhanger PRONUNCIATION GUIDE Hello wonderful reader, First off, I want to preface this with - if you find it easier or more natural to pronounce these names another way, go for it! This is your story now. Have fun. But, if you’re curious how I pronounced these names, here you go… *characters* THAEIA: They-ah NOR: rhymes with four VALSAN: Val-san KEIR: rhymes with fear NEZERA: Nez-er-ah *places* SODOLES : So-dough-leys KAPROS: Ka-prose ALOPSON: Al-op-son DRAKAM: Drah-kum KA CRUMMENS: Kah Crew-mens AKARETH: Ah-car-eth OXTARA: Ox-tar-a *creatures* PRAZAR: Pray-zar HAGRAVEN: Hag-ra-ven BASILISHOUND: Bas-ill-ish-ound WHAT CAME BEFORE (book one synopsis) Thaeia believed herself to be cursed by the gods to live without magic in a world where everyone is blessed with power on their twelfth birthday. Not only didn’t she receive a gift, but an invisible void came into being around her that temporarily swallowed the magic of anyone that gets too close to her. The people of her small island reacted with fear—especially her best friend’s father, who declared her cursed, forsaken, worthless. He poisoned his son against her, stealing away the one person she thought would be by her side forever. Nor didn’t want to turn on his best friend, but he feared Thaeia’s void. What if the gods curse him just for being her friend? The two grew up at odds, at best avoiding each other, at worst, trading insults—and even blows—each burying the pain and guilt of what they were doing to each other. Thaeia never left the island due to her surrogate mother's warnings about the outside world, but in one night, everything changed. On her deathbed, Thaeia’s surrogate mother revealed a half-destroyed family crest that was with Thaeia when she was left on her doorstep as a baby. So, with her mother figure gone, Thaeia decided to set out to find the answers to her past. She ended up traveling with Nor (reluctantly) and one of her only friends from the island, Halee. Both of them travel north to compete in the magic games that only happen every five years. Thaeia doesn’t intend to go that far, aiming for the large port city of the central territory to try and book a ship to a kingdom across the sea that bears a crest vaguely similar to the one her surrogate mother gave her. Along the way, Nor runs into an old flame, the captain of House Kapros, Valsan. Valsan and three of his fellow guards are also traveling to the games, and Valsan is as eager to reconnect with Nor as Nor is with him. With Valsan’s gentle prodding and advice, Thaeia and Nor begin to realize the fear and anger between them needs to be healed, that they love each other still, and that they need to find a way back to their friendship before it’s too late. Thaeia’s young friend, Halee, an Animal mage, also meets the handsome and bashfully charming Miles, a plant mage. The two instantly form a crush that blooms into a real connection. As they travel, Nor and Thaeia work through their friendship with plenty of bumps along the way. But when Thaeia arrived in the port city, the storm season was rolling in, preventing her from leaving. So, she’s talked into staying with her friends, agreeing to go to the Magic Games to cheer them on. She was having a good time, considering that maybe her mother was wrong, and it wouldn’t be too bad for her out here in the world, even with her curse. Thaeia celebrated with her friends, enjoying her freedom. But after waking with a raging hangover, she discovers she enrolled herself to compete in the games while in her drunken stupor—and her first match is to be against the top mage—Keir, the son of the Lord of the most powerful House in the country. With her Void, and the extensive training she received from her surrogate mother growing up, she was able to beat Keir, catapulting herself to epic fame. All seemed great until the next day, at the start of the team competitions. Explosions rocked the coliseum, injuring many, killing some—the obvious target being Thaeia. Before she passes out from pain and