Advent Mage Cycle Series by Honor Raconteur

There was a time when magic was welcome in the country of Chahir, but that was nearly two centuries ago. Now, all forms of magic are strictly forbidden. Anyone caught using magic, or possessing magical abilities, are immediately imprisoned and executed. For Garth, that policy is a problem. As Garth approaches his sixteenth birthday, he realizes that he definitely has magical abilities. What's worse, he has no control over them... moreThere was a time when magic was welcome in the country of Chahir, but that was nearly two centuries ago. Now, all forms of magic are strictly forbidden. Anyone caught using magic, or possessing magical abilities, are immediately imprisoned and executed. For Garth, that policy is a problem. As Garth approaches his sixteenth birthday, he realizes that he definitely has magical abilities. What's worse, he has no control over them. In order to stay alive, he only has one choice—he must leave his homeland, Chahir, and flee into the neighboring country, Hain. The journey isn't an easy one; he still has to make it out of Chahir without alerting anyone as to his abilities. What Garth doesn't know is that getting to Hain, and the Academy for All Magic, is going to be the easy part. Garth goes into Hain for one reason only; he wants training for his out-of-control magical powers. So how does he become a member of an exclusive magical clan known as the Jaunten; adopted by a magically enhanced colt; best friends with a gifted Witch; and foster brother of a four year old Mage? Let's just say he has a gift for finding trouble. less

“That boy thinks the world of you,” Xiaolang murmured. “And…” he visibly hesitated, slanting a questioning look at me from the corner of his eye. “And…?” I encouraged him. Xiaolang rarely hesitates in his speech. When he wanted to say something, he said it. “He’ll be very important in the future,” Xiaolang murmured. “I’m not sure how to put this…” he paused, mouth rummaging for words. “Something will change very soon, Garth. Someone will be discovered who will change everything... more“That boy thinks the world of you,” Xiaolang murmured. “And…” he visibly hesitated, slanting a questioning look at me from the corner of his eye. “And…?” I encouraged him. Xiaolang rarely hesitates in his speech. When he wanted to say something, he said it. “He’ll be very important in the future,” Xiaolang murmured. “I’m not sure how to put this…” he paused, mouth rummaging for words. “Something will change very soon, Garth. Someone will be discovered who will change everything. When that happens, you need to trust Trev’nor like he trusts you. Much will be lost otherwise.” I looked, really looked at Trev’nor. Trev’nor has always been special, a child prodigy in a life that had no child prodigies. My head was swimming with questions after Xiaolang’s revelation. Who was the boy we were to rescue, and why was Trev’nor so important for that boy? less

“Good work, Balancer.”I frowned at the title. “All I did was transport her here, Raile.”“Yes, so you did,” he agreed in a tone that clearly didn’t agree with me at all. “Perhaps you don’t consciously realize this, Garth, but its little things like this that are restoring balance to Chahir. No task can be done in just one stroke of effort; it takes many strokes, and much sustained effort.”He’s right... more“Good work, Balancer.”I frowned at the title. “All I did was transport her here, Raile.”“Yes, so you did,” he agreed in a tone that clearly didn’t agree with me at all. “Perhaps you don’t consciously realize this, Garth, but its little things like this that are restoring balance to Chahir. No task can be done in just one stroke of effort; it takes many strokes, and much sustained effort.”He’s right. I started reviewing all of the things I had done over the past two years, memories flicking through my head almost too fast to follow. Each choice led to another; my choice to leave my home in Tobadorage and seek refuge in Hain led directly to my actions now, bringing a Queen into exile. And each choice, each action on my part, had started the chain reaction that was bringing magic back into Chahir. less

After rescuing Nolan from the Star Order, Vonlorisen has changed all policies of magic in Chahir. With magicians now tentatively welcomed in their home country, King Guin has released the Red Hand from their mission. But we couldn't let it end there. The Star Order Priests won't accept the King's command to disband. They've run and hid, and sometimes in the most problematic of places-with the Doms and Domesses of the Provinces... moreAfter rescuing Nolan from the Star Order, Vonlorisen has changed all policies of magic in Chahir. With magicians now tentatively welcomed in their home country, King Guin has released the Red Hand from their mission. But we couldn't let it end there. The Star Order Priests won't accept the King's command to disband. They've run and hid, and sometimes in the most problematic of places-with the Doms and Domesses of the Provinces. King Vonlorisen has asked for our help in dealing with them, and we all agreed. We cannot let all of our hard work come to naught. Drawing on the help of Coven Ordan, we've assembled an even larger force to deal with the Star Order once and for all. Perhaps, with the help of the Gardeners and Legends, we can root out this evil once and for all. less

As my editor and I worked on Advent and Balancer, she had issues with some of the scenes I had written. They didn’t add to the plot in any way, they didn’t really build character, they were written just for my sole entertainment. So she convinced me to take them out of the book. While I did see her point and agreed with her, I didn’t want these stories to sit on some hard drive collecting dust... moreAs my editor and I worked on Advent and Balancer, she had issues with some of the scenes I had written. They didn’t add to the plot in any way, they didn’t really build character, they were written just for my sole entertainment. So she convinced me to take them out of the book. While I did see her point and agreed with her, I didn’t want these stories to sit on some hard drive collecting dust. Sure, they weren’t a vital part of the story but they were entertaining and in one particular case, it gave a great deal of backstory. One story was written purely for fans. (Fans that unfairly bribed Night with peanut butter when I wasn’t looking!)All of this gave birth to—the Compendium. Here are the stories that I give you for pure entertainment. less

Fire Mage Haikrysen never imagined that he would be adopted out of the blue by a dragon. But then, he never thought he’d find a permanent home in the northern section of Sol, working as a firefighter either. Still, he likes his new home and adores his dragon companion—even if she does hoard jewelry and eats whole sheep for breakfast. But his peaceful days end abruptly when an arsonist starts torching the eastern section of the empire, his attacks becoming progressively bigger and faster... moreFire Mage Haikrysen never imagined that he would be adopted out of the blue by a dragon. But then, he never thought he’d find a permanent home in the northern section of Sol, working as a firefighter either. Still, he likes his new home and adores his dragon companion—even if she does hoard jewelry and eats whole sheep for breakfast. But his peaceful days end abruptly when an arsonist starts torching the eastern section of the empire, his attacks becoming progressively bigger and faster. It’s beginning to look like he’s another insane Fire Mage on the loose. Krys, Kaya, and his partner Mari are sent to investigate, but they have no idea what the aim of the arsonist is, and very little knowledge of the man. Desperate, the three of them race against time to catch the madman before he burns a path across the whole empire, and everyone in it. The Dragon’s Mage by Honor Raconteur, set in the Advent Mage world, features the returning character of Haikrysen, the first real Fire Mage of his generation. less

Freezing mid-step, I stared in disbelief. There, standing very calmly in front of me, was a Gardener. Copying what I’d seen Garth do, I slowly sank to one knee and held out a hand.“Riicshaden,” he hailed in a surprisingly deep and clear voice, “I greet you.”“Well met,” I responded shakily. Busted buckets, his voice and presence in my head was overwhelming. How had Garth done this? And several times to boot! “We have a task for you... moreFreezing mid-step, I stared in disbelief. There, standing very calmly in front of me, was a Gardener. Copying what I’d seen Garth do, I slowly sank to one knee and held out a hand.“Riicshaden,” he hailed in a surprisingly deep and clear voice, “I greet you.”“Well met,” I responded shakily. Busted buckets, his voice and presence in my head was overwhelming. How had Garth done this? And several times to boot! “We have a task for you.”“Ahhh…” It was probably stupid, but I felt compelled to ask anyway. “You sure you want me? Not Garth?”“We have a task for you,” he repeated patiently, a twinkle in his eye. “A young Weather Mage has awakened in Chahir.”A thrill of pure joy and relief shot through me. A Weather Mage. A Weather Mage! YES! I’d feared I’d never hear that another would live. “You are relieved to hear this.”“I am,” I admitted, probably uselessly as he could feel everything I felt. “Chahir just doesn’t look right to me.”“The land is not as it should be. We awakened a mage and have given her the task of restoring the land.”“Wait, you said ‘her.’ The new Weather Mage is a girl?”“Yes. She is lost. We task you, Riicshaden. You must find her. You must protect her. She is very precious and if she dies, there will not be another to replace her.” less

Weather Mage Riicbeccaan has a plan. As plans go, this is a pretty good one. Officially, she needs to go into the Khobunter-Libendorf area to figure out what is messing with her weather patterns. Unofficially, since they are going that far north, it’s the perfect opportunity to get dragons. Sure, traveling that direction is dangerous, but with Trev’nor and Nolan going along, there isn’t much to worry about, as three full-trained mages can handle just about anything... moreWeather Mage Riicbeccaan has a plan. As plans go, this is a pretty good one. Officially, she needs to go into the Khobunter-Libendorf area to figure out what is messing with her weather patterns. Unofficially, since they are going that far north, it’s the perfect opportunity to get dragons. Sure, traveling that direction is dangerous, but with Trev’nor and Nolan going along, there isn’t much to worry about, as three full-trained mages can handle just about anything. But from the moment the three set foot in Khobunter, nothing goes according to plan. The whole world knows that Khobunter is a political mess, but there’s another, darker layer underneath it all that no one speaks of. The three prodigy mages are ensnared by it before they can fully comprehend what’s going on. Fighting against an entire country is not something that just three people can handle, even if they are mages. Becca, Nolan, and Trev’nor don’t have much of a choice, though. There is an abhorrent evil right in front of their eyes and they only have one of two options: fight or flee. Unfortunately for Khobunter, no one has ever taught them how to run. less

Earth Mage Rhebentrev’noren never expected to be warlord of anywhere, much less Khobunter. For that matter, he never expected to receive orders directly from a Gardener, which is an experience and a half all by itself. Not that he can properly dwell on it, with everything else demanding his attention. In this harsh, desert land, the new warlords are missing half of the resources they require. They need to build their own magical academy, but sorely lack enough trained magicians to run it... moreEarth Mage Rhebentrev’noren never expected to be warlord of anywhere, much less Khobunter. For that matter, he never expected to receive orders directly from a Gardener, which is an experience and a half all by itself. Not that he can properly dwell on it, with everything else demanding his attention. In this harsh, desert land, the new warlords are missing half of the resources they require. They need to build their own magical academy, but sorely lack enough trained magicians to run it. They need to conquer the rest of Riyu without making the same mistakes they did at Alred Watchtower, but don’t possess the means to pull it off. Willpower, dragons, and magic can only carry them so far. They need more allies and time to gather them with. Unfortunately, the remaining warlords of Khobunter have no intention of giving them that time. less

The Empire of Sol is satisfied that the new Warlords of Khobunter intend to be good neighbors. The problem is, neither Becca nor Trev’nor can rightfully claim to be warlords over all of Khobunter. They still have two pesky warlords to either charm into surrendering or take by brute force. Becca doesn’t like her odds in conquering Von. The last warlord in the north has made it very clear that the new warlords can take the territory over his dead body... moreThe Empire of Sol is satisfied that the new Warlords of Khobunter intend to be good neighbors. The problem is, neither Becca nor Trev’nor can rightfully claim to be warlords over all of Khobunter. They still have two pesky warlords to either charm into surrendering or take by brute force. Becca doesn’t like her odds in conquering Von. The last warlord in the north has made it very clear that the new warlords can take the territory over his dead body. And Von supports it by gathering every able magician he possesses into his stronghold. It will take considerable magic and might to break through, and the potential for damage near catastrophic. Becca quickly realizes that they’re not going to breach the walls, not with the force she has available, but they don’t have the time for a leisurely siege. There’s only one option left to them—the very thing Becca swore they’d never do: call home for help. And pray someone answers. less