Division of Global Magic Affairs Book 1

Within a military academy shrouded in magic, a headmistress readies new blood for a war against otherworldly forces threatening their realm, as betrayal brews in her own house and her brother sows seeds of unrest that could bring down both sides.

While a young man's dangerous quest to cure his demonic infection ensnares him in the academy's tangled web of political schemes and military strikes edging civilization towards catastrophe, and an aristocrat's daughter trapped by expectations yearns to shape her own destiny amidst the turmoil, as a hidden puppet master manipulates the war's course for a mysterious endgame – the coveted Timeless Grimoire, key to commanding cosmic forces.

Warlocks and otherworldly alien gods are locked in a relentless war during the Edwardian era's decadence and luxury. This primordial conflict poses a threat to the survival of two interconnected realms.

Fate assembles an unlikely team. A famous detective on the run, his past exploits having stoked the ire of nefarious occult forces. An assassin, haunted by her shadowy past, finds refuge in his company. Their faithful factotum harbors his own painful secrets while aiding their crusade.

Within a military academy shrouded in magic, the headmistress readies new blood for a war against otherworldly forces threatening their realm. But betrayal brews in her own house as her brother sows seeds of unrest that could bring down both sides.

Far from these occult machinations, a young man ventures on a dangerous quest to cure the demonic infection pulsing through his veins. Yet his solitary journey soon hurtles him into the academy’s orbit as he becomes ensnared in the tangled web of political schemes and military strikes edging civilization towards catastrophe.

Trapped by expectations, an aristocrat’s daughter in the academy yearns to shape her own destiny amidst the turmoil.

As all edges toward apocalyptic collapse, one hidden puppet master manipulates war’s course for a mysterious endgame – the coveted Timeless Grimoire, key to commanding cosmic forces.

Through lavish mansions, occult societies, and nightmare battlefields, this thrilling saga conjures an alternate reality where magic and sci-fi technology merge. As loyalties fray and stakes climb, will fate’s hand be altered before a realm burns?

For fans of dark fantasy and electric historical fiction, this atmospheric page-turner ensures otherworldly action and intrigue awaits within. The game is afoot – dare you join?

Amazon

Excerpt from Warlocks & Sorceresses: The Timeless Grimoire © Copyright 2024 Antonio Galarza

Chapter XVII

∴ ∴ ∴

Fates of Shadows

Tyler

May 16th, 1907

The journey southwest was long and arduous, taking a few hours to arrive. The road exhausted Tyler, Casey was still asleep, and Victor was almost halfway through the book. Upon doing so, Tyler suddenly surged with the power of astonishment and bewilderment. Victor had a similar reaction. Casey awoke when the carriage lost speed, and her expression changed to that of this being her first time outside Calne. Tyler wasn’t entirely sure where they were on the map, but it must’ve been somewhere along the northwestern coastline, as a huge port sprawled beyond the straining of his sight.

The place was heaving with activity, with all manner of ships for all manner of trades coming and going for purposes mostly unknown to any of them. People were busy; Tyler could see people in peculiar attire wandering around the place attending to certain duties, while he also noticed parents of children about his age chaperoning potential new warlocks and witches to and from the examination area, hoping to produce a masterful magic worker in the family. Some families seemed extremely pleased and excited about the results they received, while others seemed utterly dejected as they walked back to their families. Not so lucky for them to arrive by car or train.

In these moments, Tyler suddenly wished his parents were with him, and then he felt more deeply for Casey. He didn’t look at her, though, and instead looked more deeply at the details of the place.

“Let me see!” Victor demanded. Tyler stepped aside while Casey took the other opposite window.

Victor got in the way and stared out of the open window, Carrot jumped up and sat on his shoulder to survey with him. He started to describe the stonework of the buildings that surrounded them and suggested real age from an antiquated time; whitewashed stone and grand columns that reached up to hold old rooftops, and cobbled pavements that reached down to the shoreline, and looming over all of it stood a huge coliseum that almost seemed to lack identifiable age. It was unlike anything they had ever seen before; domineering and ancient, it once seemed to command the obedience and attention of many. Now, it seemed more of a husk of its former but was still monumental in its sheer size.

The carriage slowed to a halt, settling into its designated storage area, and the three of them stepped out, carrying their trunks and backpacks in tow with them. The air was fresh with the scent of the western coast, and a frequent, chilly breeze blew through the many alleys of the docking area despite the warmth of summer. As they checked their belongings, an ageing man in an impeccable uniform approached them.

“Welcome to the Warlock Union Society Port. W.U.S.P. for short. You must be Tyler Winwood, Cassandra Cardnell, and … Victor Waltz, correct?” Tyler noticed the man’s hesitation whilst saying his friend’s name and wondered if he recognised the surname from somewhere else. Victor spoke for them all and extended a hand to the man.

“Yes, thank you for having us,” he said. The man looked curiously at him, and then to his hand, but did not remove his hands from behind his back where they had rigidly rested.

“It is no say of mine for having you, young sir. I am merely a porter, requested to take your luggage for safekeeping and escort you to the examination area. Please, follow me.”

“Cassandra, really?” Tyler asked, amused.

“Shut up,” Casey replied, following Victor.

They were guided to an area just outside the massive ruins of the coliseum. As they stepped beneath its shadow, Victor shared his lessons of local culture and history, and could remember hearing nothing about such a monumental building in England. Tyler stared up at its massive structure, fascinated and intimidated all at once by Victor’s lecture.

They were quickly interrupted and hurried to sit under a canopy that was attached to the outer walls of the coliseum where the rest of the potential students awaited their examinations. Many of them seemed nervous, others expelled certain brooding confidence. One such person was a girl who Victor sat beside. She was very pretty with short hair as white as snow and crystal-clear silver-coloured eyes, a fair face, and a small frame. Yet despite her build and fairness, she held a certain strength about herself. She studied Victor a while, and her eyes panned to Tyler and Casey beyond him.

“You seem a little green,” she told Victor, at last, breaking the awkward silence.

“Excuse me?” said Victor as he clenched a fist in return. Tyler noted the black choker that was around her neck, but after a closer inspection he recognised it as an expensive Magicloak—a device that conceals the magical presence of an individual.

“You seem green. Do you even know any magic?” The tone of her voice was enough to make Tyler a little irked.

“Of course, I do,” he finally told her.

“You don’t seem so sure.” She grinned. Tyler wasn’t sure if it was a friendly grin or a malicious one. “I’m Emma Blackthorn. Who are you?”

“Victor. Victor Waltz.” He extended his hand in greeting, but Emma refused.

“Waltz? Like Gareth Waltz?” she scoffed, laughing with a sort of mocking confidence.

Tyler was eager to interrupt their conversation to protect his friend, when he remembered the surname. He froze. He realised this was Victor’s fight, but more importantly, the consequences would impale his very future in the academy.

“What’s your problem?” Victor asked her directly with a voice of confidence to rival her own.

Featured on Joelbooks