Praise for Deathriser of Darkwood:
From the Ashes

Want to make sure my storytelling style is something you’d enjoy? Here’s the full first chapter of the book for you to read as a sample!

Chapter 1: A Portal in the Woods

“Stupid cat!” Tera grunts, stumbling over a scraggly tabby.

“Rude! What if I called you a stupid elf?” Kiran asks.

“It’s different,” Tera replies, watching the cat disappear between some trees.

“You’re right. Calling you stupid would be far worse because you’re in school. So, you should be smart.” Kiran smirks and Tera returns the sass with a heavy punch to his shoulder.

Tera wants to comment on how her best friend is studying to be an animalinguist, but she knows that’s one insult that’s off-limits. The animalinguist class is almost entirely full of half-elves like Kiran, who only have half the magic strength of full-blooded elves like herself.

“We almost there yet?” she asks, changing the subject.

“Just past these trees.”

The forest is thick and dark. Trees with leafy branches suffocate the full moon’s glow, but the two friends continue to follow the halo of Tera’s light orb spell, bobbing like a buoy before them in the heavy summer air.

“I still can’t believe you’ve never been to Summercloud,” Kiran says.

“Dad says it’s nothing but a scam. ‘Too expensive for junk food and cheap prizes.’”

“He’s not wrong, but that’s not the point.”

They step into a clearing in the woods. A shimmering portal floats several inches off the ground. Above it, a splintering sign reads SUMMERCLOUD FAIR in chipping pink paint.

“I feel like this is the kind of portal my mom warned me about when I was little.” Tera stops, eyeing the aged wooden sign. “It may as well say, ‘Free Toffees, Definitely Not a Trap.’”

“I mean, they do have toffees, but they’re nowhere near free,” Kiran says with a snort. “C’mon.”

Tera releases her light orb, watching it evaporate before them. “After you,” she says, motioning to the portal.

Kiran walks in front of her, tossing a sly look back before stepping through the portal and disappearing, leaving her in the dark. She huffs, running a hand through her thick copper curls, tucking them behind her long, pointed ears before following her friend.

The forest fades around her, materializing into another dark woodsy space. Instead of the lush nature near her home, this one is full of twisting, leafless trees. Her head spins as she searches for her friend, spotting him already halfway down a steep path just past the return portal.

“Wow, way to wait for me, Kir!” Tera yells indignantly, trotting after him, the compact, hard dirt making soft shuffling sounds beneath her feet.

“We’re already running late enough!” he calls back to her. “Someone had to flunk her deathrising midterm and get the kingdom’s longest lecture from her parents.”

“I didn’t flunk,” she says as she reaches his side and slows to match his pace. “I just didn’t do as well on my test as Zeyla did on her lifebringing midterm. I swear the deathrising program is harder.”

“Not that I have any experience in either, but that sounds fair. After all, you’d think it’d be easier to heal something that’s still alive than bring something back to life. Or kill someone, like, permanently. Plus, fewer people actually graduate from the deathrising program anyways.”

“Exactly! Thank you! But Mom and Dad treat her like the pride and joy of the family. Maybe if Mom and Dad were deathrisers instead, I’d have an easier time in class. She practically has live-in lifebringing tutors. It’s not fair.”

“You picked it though. They wanted you to be a lifebringer. It could’ve been easy for you, too. I love you like a sister, Tera, but I’m not hopping into that pity party again.”

She starts picking mindlessly at a small scab on her scalp, her mind wandering back to her path selection day. Her older brother, Aston, had picked the lifebringing path five years before her. Their parents were thrilled, but he had acted like it wasn’t even a choice. He simply picked the path of least parental resistance. Her little sister, on the other hand, made a huge show out of her decision to follow in their parents’ footsteps. Zeyla decorated her room with posters of all the greatest lifebringers in history, bought the overpriced hoodies with “lifebringer” stitched across the chest, and gathered the entire family for her path selection announcement— as if it were a surprise to anyone.

Their parents didn’t hide the fact that they were disappointed in Tera’s lack of interest in the lifebringing path. They never told her she couldn’t pursue something else, in fact, quite the opposite. As much as it pained them to see their middle child go against arboreal elf tradition, they encouraged her to go after whatever she felt most passionate about. Tera waited until the day of her path selection to finally tell her parents she wanted to be a deathriser. She will never forget walking into her family’s tiny kitchen later that day to see her mom scraping off the word “lifebringer” in green icing on a congratulatory cake.

“Emmaline and Verity said they’d wait by the fortune teller booth, and Trevitt told me he had to help his dad out fixing one of the rides. He’ll join us later if he can.” Kiran reaches around, putting his hand flat against Tera’s back, urging her to walk faster.

“I’m going, I’m going!” she says, her gaze wandering as she takes in the sight of the towering pink and violet tent walls surrounding Summercloud Fair.

“I don’t want to miss out on the whole night. Let’s go.”

Tera grumbles. “You have longer legs than me. I can’t keep up!”

Kiran flashes her a grin, his bright teeth standing out against his rich, indigo skin. “Last one to the ticket booth has to eat an order of fried fish eyes!” He takes off, his silky silver hair fluttering behind him, his thin, pointed ears seeming to bounce with every step.

“That’s a thing?” Tera sprints after him with a grimace painted on her face.

When she reaches the bottom of the hill, she’s greeted by a pair of fauns giggling and juggling flashing balls on either side of the entrance.

“Welcome to Summercloud!” one of them spouts.

“Tickets are to your left!” the other follows.

Tera turns, spotting Kiran handing over a few coins to a man behind the ticket booth. The man holds two paper tickets over the counter. Before Kiran can take them, Tera steps up beside him and snatches them.

“You paid for my ticket?” she asks, holding the two tickets up separately.

“Only because I feel bad for you,” he says, feigning a face of pity—scrunching his brow and pushing a frown through an unmistakable smile. “After all, those fried fish eyes are pretty gnarly.”

“Stop!” she says with a huff. “You’re not actually going to make me eat those.”

“Actually, I am. But don’t worry. They might be really gooey in the middle, but the outside is nice and crunchy,” he teases, drawing out his words.

“Ugh. Let’s just go find Emmaline and Verity.”

“Good idea, I’m sure they’d like to watch, too!”

“Enough!”

Kiran raises his hands in a defensive surrender.

The two make their way through the crowded fairground, passing booths with intoxicating and warm aromas. Fried foods, fresh doughs, candied meats, and strong brews lace the air, seducing Tera to pause every few steps to suck in a deeper breath.

“Is that Professor Dringely?” Kiran asks, pointing at a towering woman with two small children holding her hands.

Tera spots her and groans.

“I thought you liked her?” Kiran raises an eyebrow at her, slowing in his tracks.

“I do. It’s just that stupid test.”

Professor Dringely turns, spotting Tera and Kiran. She smiles softly, nodding her head in acknowledgment. One of her little ones tugs at her hand, pulling her attention away only a second later.

After the two friends pass most of the shops and food booths, Tera follows Kiran around a bend and down a stone pathway to a small tent, where Emmaline and Verity stand waiting for them.

“‘bout time!” Verity shouts, hands on her hips. Her hot pink bob frames her round, freckled face. In the dim amber lights of the fairgrounds, Tera thinks for a moment that Verity’s periwinkle skin almost looks more like the caramel color of her own.

“We were getting worried,” Emmaline says, her voice as soft and breathy as always. The faun trots over to Tera and Kiran to hug them, her hooved feet clacking against the stone walkway.

“Hey guys,” Tera chokes through Emmaline’s tight hug, her strawberry blonde hair tickling Tera’s arm.

“Any word from Trevitt?” Kiran asks.

“He left. His dad overdid it again and he had to help him home,” Verity answers.

Kiran’s face is grave, and he hangs his head. “Poor guy. I swear his dad’s been getting worse and worse. He needs to just retire early and take care of himself.”

“He can’t,” Emmaline says. “Too many mouths to feed in that family for the only adult to not work.”

“I don’t know how he’s done it as long as he has. Some of those kids are still so little. Ugh. My heart breaks every time I see Trevitt,” Verity says. “Sweet gronnet just keeps smiling though.”

The friends are quiet. It’s been years since Trevitt’s mom passed away, leaving him often filling in as a parent for his eleven younger siblings. Even with all the time that’s passed, the unfairness of it all never feels right to talk about, so the friends tend to avoid the topic entirely.

“All this to say,” Verity starts, “you’re stuck with just us tonight.”

“Works for me,” Tera says, earning a sharp glare from Kiran.

“Be nice,” Kiran scolds.

“This is me being nice.”

“He’s nothing but nice to you.”

“You don’t particularly like hanging out with him either,” Tera mutters under her breath, just loud enough for her best friend to hear.

He rolls his eyes and ignores her remark.

“He’s just… too much.”

“He’s never able to hang out much anymore,” Verity says, disregarding Tera and Kiran’s side conversation. “I mean, I get it, but we’d have a better chance of hanging out with Aeridonis himself than expecting Trevitt to actually show up.”

“At least the fair has food,” Kiran says with a laugh. “You never know! Trevitt could show up after bringing his dad home. He can’t turn down fried food—especially if there’s fried fish. Meanwhile, I don’t think a wizard like Aeridonis would bother himself with fish pies, funnel cakes, and candied boar belly.”

“You never know,” Tera jokes. “Maybe Aeridonis has got a soft spot for candied boar belly. I’ve heard mineral elves are suckers for sweets.”

The friends start making their way toward some of the rides when Emmaline breaks the brief silence with a soft giggle. “Can you imagine?” she asks. “The great wizard Aeridonis… stuffing his mouth with sticks of sweets and riding the twirly cups.”

Tera and Verity laugh, but Kiran crosses his arms and continues walking in silence.

“What’s wrong with him?” Verity asks Tera.

“He’s a big Aeridonis fan. Has a poster of him next to his bed. I think he tells the poster ‘good morning’ every d—”

“That’s not funny.” Kiran’s cerulean eyes narrow on Tera.

“Okay, I’m sorry. I just mean you have a lot of respect for him.”

“Because he’s one of the greatest wizards the kingdom has ever had, and if it weren’t for his help with the Battle of Durnamire, the marrow elves would’ve continued ruling the kingdom, and my parents never would have gotten together years later. Even if they had, they would’ve been executed. No breeding ‘dirty’ half-elves. Aeridonis is a hero.”

“I didn’t know all that,” Emmaline says, her small features crinkling as she looks over at Kiran.

“It’s not really a piece of history anyone talks much about. It gets brushed over. But they talk about it a lot in animalinguist classes. I guess because most of us are half-elves that wouldn’t exist if the marrow elves were still in control.”

The serious conversation lightens as they reach the entrance gate to the twirly cups. They flash their tickets to the ride attendant and shove past each other as they race for the only available cup.

Smooshed in together on the narrow bench, the friends pull down the security lap bar seconds before the cup begins whipping them around in tight circles. Tera hears Kiran moan, and she turns to see his usually dark skin turning pale.

“I don’t feel so good,” he grumbles. Beside him, Verity squeals with laughter, throwing her hands in the air as the cup continues twirling.

The spinning cups go on just a moment longer and the lap bar releases as soon as they stop. Kiran wastes no time, stumbling from his seat and making his way to the nearest trash can.

“Is he okay?” Emmaline asks, stepping up beside Tera, who was watching Kiran from a respectable distance.

“Too much spinning, I guess.” Tera shrugs.

Just as she decides to go closer and check on Kiran, a raven swoops in and perches itself on her shoulder.

Emmaline gasps softly. “Steve!” she coos, hands on her heart.

“Hey, buddy.” Tera turns her head to give her pet raven a quick kiss. He holds out the scrap of paper in his beak and she takes it, turning it over and immediately recognizing her brother’s handwriting.

Mom and Dad are home early. I said you were at a late-night study session with some kid from class because you felt bad about failing. Get home soon or it’s your problem. P.S. You still owe me five coins for this.

   Tera reads the note a second time while Steve softly pecks at her shoulder, wanting snacks or attention. She groans, rolling her eyes and looking up at her friends. Kiran appears to be feeling somewhat better, and the color is returning to his face.

“Guys, I’ve got to get home,” she says, crumbling the letter and shoving it in her pocket.

“What’s up?” Verity asks.

“Mom and Dad are home early, and I’m not supposed to be out. Aston covered for me, but they’ll get suspicious if I’m not home soon.”

“But you just got here,” Kiran whines from his spot at the trash can. “You didn’t even get to eat fried fish eyes!”

“Eww.” Emmaline shivers. “You wanted to eat those? There are so many better options here, Tera.”

“Nope. Didn’t want to. Wasn’t going to. Anyways, I really got to get moving. I’m in enough trouble as-is for the midterms. I don’t need more.”

“You’re really leaving already? You can’t stick around for just one more ride?” Verity pouts at her.

“You owe me money for your ticket if you leave early!” Kiran says with a weak smile, stepping toward the girls.

Tera brushes him off and turns to Verity. “The last time I was caught sneaking out, my parents put a tracking spell on me for a month. I’m not chancing that again. They questioned everything I did. If I so much as went to the bathroom during class, they’d send Steve with a note asking my professors why I left class.”

“Oof, that’s a bit extreme,” Verity says with a snort. “Your brother can’t just cover for you a bit more?”

“He probably could, but he won’t.”

“Fair enough.”

“I’ll see you guys later. Sorry.” Tera waves to her friends and trots off toward the fair entrance.

Near the front of the fair, she passes the juggling fauns who chime, “Thanks for visiting!” as she worms through the bustling crowd toward the ticket booth.

Once outside the fairgrounds, she’s overcome by the stillness of the dark forest so unlike the lively one of her home. She slows, taking a moment to look around at the peculiar leafless trees.

Just then, she spots a glimmer deep in the twisting forest. She watches, trying to make out the source. When nothing else happens, she turns to continue up the hill to the portal.

 “Quick,” a voice hisses from the dark. Tera whips around, amber eyes wildly scanning. Hurried footsteps rustle through thick and tangling grass. The sound seems to come from all directions, yet she can’t see anything but empty woods and the pink portal on the path ahead.

Ignoring her instincts, she takes off into the trees, following the sounds of the footsteps as they rapidly grow fainter. As she sprints deeper into the woods, she can no longer see the path to the portal and can hardly hear the stepping sounds. It’s only when she spots the glimmer once more that she realizes where the invisible people must be headed.

Stopping a short distance from the source, she squats behind a tree and peers out, watching. One by one, marrow elves appear in a cluster around a flickering, floating silver orb.

“So, this is him?” One of the marrow elves reaches out a sickly pale gray hand toward the orb, curling his spindly fingers around it.

“Yes,” another replies, swatting away the other’s hand.

“How did you do it?” asks a shorter one covered in a black cloak.

“Never mind that, it’s almost time.” He pulls out a pocket watch, staring at it for a while. Suddenly, the shimmering orb bursts, cascading silver from its fixed position in the air. When the glow of the silvery waterfall finally dissipates, Tera makes out the familiar figure.

“Aeridonis,” says the elf with the pocket watch, shutting it and placing it back in his pocket. “So nice of you to join us.”

Tera clasps her hands over her mouth. She instantly thinks of her best friend and his poster of the great wizard. He would never believe her if she told him about any of this.

Almost as if awakening on command, Aeridonis’s gray eyes flick open, locking on the elf with the watch.

His voice—recognizable to everyone in Evalyra—cuts through the stillness of the woods. It feels calm against the low, hissing voices of the marrow elves. “What kind of—”

“Spare us the begging,” the pocketwatch elf snips.

Aeridonis’s wrinkled and rosy expression remains flat and unchanging as he stares back at the elf. “I wouldn’t dare beg. I’ll leave that to my granddaughter’s dog, Noodle. Actually, I was going to ask what sort of a sad person would kidnap an elderly man while he’s napping. Were you raised by boars?”

“Coming from the man who allowed half-breeds back in court. Disgusting.” The head elf spits at Aeridonis’s feet. “I’m done wasting time,” he says, turning his head side to side, and making eye contact with each of his accomplices. “See to it that it’s done right this time,” he says to one of the hooded elves.

“Me?” the one asks, spinning around to see if perhaps the head elf was referring to someone behind him. Tera can’t make out any details of his face, but her few experiences with marrow elves make it easy to imagine. Thin nose, sallow skin, narrow eyes, dagger-like ears. She assumes this one is no different, though his voice lacks that same cold, wet hush of the others.

“Can’t we just burn him?” one of the shorter elves asks.

Pocket Watch throws his arm out to the side, blasting the short elf through the air a few yards. He lands on his back with a thump, groaning before he stands and dusts himself off.

“You think he’d be foolish enough to not have protection charms at all times?” Pocket Watch says with a scoff. “No, we need a bigger curse than some childish fire spell. Let’s get on with things.”

The elf with the warm voice holds up his open hands toward Aeridonis, bowing his head. A few moments later, thick black fog begins trailing like a snake through the damp forest air, slithering toward Aeridonis and slowly coiling itself around his entire body. Tera notices his fingertips twitching, but his arms and legs are still as stones. She wonders why he isn’t doing anything until she realizes perhaps he can’t.

“Now you.” Pocket Watch taps another hooded elf on the shoulder.

The second puts their hands up in a similar fashion, holding firm as a white fog snake seeps through their palms and twists around the wizard.

“Hold.” Pocket Watch steps up, stopping inches from Aeridonis’s face. “You’ve ruined everything that once made Evalyra great. But it can still be saved. Can’t say the same for you.” He steps back, standing between the other two casters and raising his hands but never lowering his head.

Aeridonis, nearly entirely ensnared by the fog snakes, turns his gaze. Tera swears he sees her. Her skin goes cold, and her heart starts racing as she weighs her options, only to realize there are none.

She’s always seen photos and paintings of Aeridonis looking strong, proud, and powerful. But at this moment, he looks more human than elf. He stands hunched over, his wrinkled skin loose around his sunken features. His short, pointed ears peek out through his long, wispy hair. Even his thick white beard seems flat and dull.

Tera mouths, “I’m so sorry,” and Aeridonis’s eyes remain fixed on hers.

“Cinis.” Pocket Watch claps his hands together and the two fog snakes burst into a blinding light. Tera and all the other elves involuntarily turn their heads away from the beam.

After the light fades, Tera turns back, only to see that the marrow elves are gone. Aeridonis is also gone, a small pile of ash in the place he stood. Blue smoke pulses in a thin cloud like a heartbeat from the pile for a few seconds before simmering out.