Amid new threats and unsettling discoveries, hope still perseveres.
Remarkable
Magic
The
Hybrid Magic Chronicles, #3
by
Cristy L. Bowlin
Genre:
YA Fantasy
Amid
new threats and unsettling discoveries, hope still perseveres.
Aaron
is done letting the Defenders control his life. He refuses to
continue running and hiding. The Defenders claim that hybrid mages
are dangerous abominations, but Aaron and Lilith are determined to
prove otherwise. Meanwhile, Elara and Theo are grappling with
formidable new abilities that they never expected to possess.
Striking out on their own, Aaron and his friends discover another
group of hybrid mages living in the desert who are preparing to
fight. New alliances are forged, yet not everyone agrees on how to
confront the Defenders. When more people see what hybrid magic can
do, it could either be revered or feared even more. Aaron and his
friends must make some tough decisions before those choices are taken
from them.
“I think I hit a dead end,” Lilith called back from the front of their group.
Hazel walked over. “No, this is the exit. I’ll need everyone’s help to move the boulder.”
Theo and Elara lined up next to Hazel and Lilith, yet Aaron hung back. Before his friends could start pushing against the rock, Aaron reached out with his magic. It took all of his energy to roll the boulder a few yards away from the tunnel, but it was worth it for the rush of fresh air that came through the opening. Aaron breathed deeply and felt goosebumps ripple up his arms.
“Aaron loves to show off, even when he’s injured,” Lilith said, shaking her head as they exited the tunnel.
“I was just trying to help after all the trouble I caused.”
Hazel laughed. “I’m grateful for it. Can you roll the boulder back to cover the entrance again?”
Aaron kicked at the sand under his feet. “I should be able to if you give me a few minutes to rest first.”
Elara put both hands on Aaron’s shoulders and forced him to sit on a smaller rock. “You’ve strained yourself enough for one night. Let us take care of it.”
He tried to catch Lilith’s eye to no avail. She stalked right past him and was the first to lay her hands on the boulder. Lilith and the others grunted as they pushed it back into place before collapsing onto the cool desert sand. The crescent moon in the sky didn’t offer much light to see their landscape, but Aaron could still make out the shapes of plateaus in the distance to the northwest. His family’s home was somewhere out there.
By now his parents probably knew he had run away. Zelda wouldn’t have hesitated to send a letter to his mother. He imagined how each of his parents would react. His father would have cried upon hearing the news. Then he would have gotten himself a drink before pacing in his study. He would spiral into despair if he didn’t have Aaron’s mother to lean on. She wouldn’t allow herself to cry. Instead, she would jump straight into action. She had probably assembled various search parties. Without being able to rely on seers, she would write letters to all their friends and distant family, asking them to write letters to their own friends. If anyone caught word of Aaron’s whereabouts, they would be sure to alert Commander Ztrong right away.
Aaron cringed at the thought of being hauled home to be reprimanded by his parents. His mother had a lot of friends, or at least plenty of allies, so she would inevitably find him at some point. Aaron would have to outwit the search parties for as long as possible, and he would prove to his parents that this was all worth it. He would show them that he didn’t need anyone to protect him and keep him caged any longer.
“We should keep moving,” said Theo. “We’re not very far from town yet, and there’s no cover for us here. Let’s head northeast.” He pointed to some nearby sand dunes, and they all started walking in that direction.
Elara rubbed her arms. “I didn’t know that it could get so cold in the desert.”
“We get some pretty extreme temperatures here,” said Hazel.
Lilith gestured to the boulder that was shrinking in the distance. “Why exactly is there a tunnel leading into your basement?”
“It’s been there a long time, since way before I was born. Some of the transformation mages in my family from generations ago could turn into moles, so they were the ones who first started digging. There is actually a whole network of tunnels around here because they used to smuggle goods in and out of the shipping port. During the Harlequin War, the tunnels were widened to be able to fit humans. My grandparents helped deserting soldiers get out of Scransee. My grandfather was killed for it, but my grandmother’s life was spared.”
“Why?” Lilith asked. Her wide eyes looked like gold coins in the moonlight.
“Because my grandmother is a hybrid mage.”
**Don't miss the other books in the series!**
Hybrid
Magic
The
Hybrid Magic Chronicles Book 1
Amazon
Innovative
Magic
The Hybrid Magic
Chronicles Book 2
Amazon
Cristy L. Bowlin is an English professor at Oxnard College and author of The Temple Dancer’s Diary and The Hybrid Magic Chronicles, set in the fantasy realm of the Deravine Commonwealth. She currently lives in Southern California with her husband, daughter, and pet cat. When she isn’t reading or writing, she is most likely dancing, hiking, or getting invested in (another) TV series.
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