Crownless & Bound

Cyrus is a laborer from the Commons, the brutal underclass of a world where magic runs exclusively in noble blood. When he unearths a rare gemstone in the mines, he uses it to buy his way into a gilded tea house, wagering it in a high stakes chess match against a ruthless Baron. The prize: his freedom papers.

Though Cyrus outwits the nobleman, the Baron refuses to honor a peasant’s victory and orders him whipped and returned to the Commons. Cornered and desperate, something ancient and uncontrolled erupts from Cyrus, shattering the room.

In the chaos, a water mage and fixer named Felix intervenes. Felix knows exactly what that outburst means. He knows exactly who Cyrus is. Hunted and out of options, Cyrus follows the dangerous stranger into the night, toward the truth about what he is.