Prohibited Magic is the third book in the Grimoire Society of Dark Acts series. Episode 1 is up on my Patreon—it’s pay-what-you-like—and it’ll go up three days later on Kindle Vella.
Carmichael finds himself captured rather than in control when the Ruin Rats transport themselves and him to a place he doesn’t recognize—and then another. His hopes of having the cavalry come to his rescue are destroyed.
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What Prohibited Magic is about:
With Grimoire Society of Dark Acts’s magic book and crystal ball in the hands of the parasitic Ruin Rats, Carmichael’s decision to take the Book of Blessings and infiltrate the magical gang has left Dark Acts magically crippled. Gertrude is trapped in Grimoire Assassins’s magical realm; only the never-before-seen Grimoire of Blood can save her. Dark Acts and its allies split up to stop the worsening imbalance in the Magic Societal Universe, an unprecedented state with unfathomable consequences.
Episode 1: Captured
CARMICHAEL
In the blink of an eye, Carmichael was no longer free-falling to the first floor of The Restricted Order. Instead, he and the two thieving Ruin Rats landed on their feet on the uneven stone ground of what he immediately recognized as an alley.
An alley in a bad area.
The kind that always seemed dark, no matter how brightly the sun shone, even at this time in the morning.
His eyes flew around to adult-looking children whose ages ranged from approximately nine to thirteen. Their faces and hands were smudged with dirt, their stances wide as gang members, but their clothes weren’t in the worst shape, as if they had a benefactor.
None of them looked surprised by his sudden appearance in their territory with two haughty Ruin Rats. In fact, the kids started to draw closer around Carmichael, exchanging indecipherable whispers as they moved toward him.
Anyone who knew anything about back alleys in bad areas knew that street children were nothing to sneeze at. Especially in a large group; Carmichael counted eight. Any one of them—or all of them—could be carrying knives and know how to use them by this age.
Knox had always encouraged Carmichael to carry a dagger at all times, just in case. Knox even had a tailor reinforce his jacket pockets with leather for that purpose. Carmichael hadn’t listened, and now he couldn’t even scare them off with a weapon.
Most disturbing, though, was that these children were not shocked by magic. Not a good sign.
Carmichael straightened and held his head high to look down his nose. He put his hand in his inner jacket pocket and acted as if he might be resettling a dagger inside it. It caused them to pause their approach, at least, their eyes all drawn to the two Ruin Rats for further instructions.
They were the benefactors.
Clever, recruiting kids. The question was, in what capacity?
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© Christie Stratos 2023