Prohibited Magic is the third book in the Grimoire Society of Dark Acts series. Episode 26 is up on my Patreon—it’s pay-what-you-like—and it’ll go up later on Kindle Vella.
Episode 26: Carmichael tries to cope with the enormity of the many high-priority issues that need to be resolved for Dark Acts, until his past comes raging back to haunt him.
In my Patreon post, you’ll always get exclusive content, like real signet rings that inspired Carmichael’s family ring.
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 26: The Crash
CARMICHAEL
Carmichael dropped his head into his hands, his elbows propped on the kitchen table on either side of his now empty plate. Perhaps it hadn’t been such a good idea for everyone to catch everyone else up over a meal—now his stomach felt heavy. “I don’t think things could get any worse than this.”
Knox coughed, then swallowed the rest of his mutton. “What’re ya tryin’ to do, challenge the magical universe to turn the screws some more?”
Carmichael ignored him. “The hardest thing to figure out is where to start.” There was too much, simply too much wrong, with too little time to fix it all.
“Start with my Grimoire,” Luther said in his apathetic tone. “I want it unlocked like yours is.”
“Phineas Fenn is the key to that,” Gertrude said. “And capturing him and Benjamin Botswick is of higher priority—that much is obvious.”
“You can’t capture them without my Grimoire’s help,” Luther mumbled, pushing his half-eaten plate of food away.
“Perhaps more important than any of that is rescuing Grace from the Ruin Rats,” Nigel commented.
“We really ought to locate Morton, Sean, and Patrick as well,” Anne added. “Who knows what’s happened that they’re not back yet.” She frowned at her plate, lost in thought.
And in addition to all of that, Corrina’s message about working at The Restricted Order must be dealt with. It’s my fault she’s there. God only knows what happened to her when her father came home all those years ago. And now he’s dead—did she do that? Was it because of me?
And Anne has paid some sort of price at The Restricted Order she won’t share with me, and she’d been there even before we went together, if I remember correctly. For use of what form of prohibited magic, I still don’t know.
Gertrude remains bloodbound to Luther’s locked Grimoire, Knox is detached from our own Grimoire and needs to be detached from his bloodthirsty mace…
Carmichael’s mind spun with the many complications that had arisen and how on earth they would fix everything as quickly as they needed to. His head began to pound as it lay in his hands, and his breath quickened.
“What’s wrong with him?” he heard O’Sullivan say through a mouthful of food.
“Carmichael?” Humphrey asked tentatively. “Carmichael, are you all right?”
“N-no,” Carmichael stuttered, a hot, feverish feeling coming over him. “I suppose I’m just a bit overwhelmed. Perhaps I should lie down for a short time.” Twice in one day. This can’t be good. The last time was in the Ruin Rats’s lair and it was due to my overuse of magic. Is this simply stress or is there more to it?
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© Christie Stratos 2024