Talia Read online

  Forbidden Arcana

  Talia

  Tamryn Tamer

  Copyright © 2019 by Tamryn Tamer. All rights reserved. www.smirkpublishing.com.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. Except in the cases permitted by copyright law.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  All characters are 18 years of age or older.

  WARNING: This work contains over the top graphic sex and violence.

  Contents

  Also by Tamryn Tamer

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Acknowledgements

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  Also by Tamryn Tamer

  Forbidden Arcana Series

  Jinx (Book 1)

  Ariel (Book 2)

  Mirage (Book 3)

  Theia (Book 4)

  Sable (Book 5)

  Luna (Book 6)

  Talia (Book 7)

  Morgana (Coming Soon!)

  Chapter 1

  Fair Trade Agreements

  “Shit!” Jericho snapped as the pain continued to increase until he finally had to cut his connection with the darkness. He summoned a stream of water to douse his eyes and frost to cool his head, desperately hoping it’d reduce his discomfort.

  Connecting with dark magic wasn’t difficult but maintaining the connection was tricky. It reminded Jericho of stereograms. Those old optical illusions that hid pictures of objects. If you knew the trick you could see the image immediately but maintaining the image required focus.

  Similarly, locating the nothingness hiding behind existence was easy. All he needed to do was find the black spot inside of himself and focus on it while ignoring everything else. Gradually the darkness would bubble to the surface and spread like oil. From there, he directed the spill.

  But there was no controlling dark magic. The only thing he could do was carve out paths for it to flow through like oil being poured into a river. Jericho provided the current that carried the darkness along, eradicating everything it touched, that was all.

  At least for as long as he could maintain his connection.

  What was easy at first quickly became unbearable as his eyes burned like he hadn’t blinked in a decade. And then the connection severed leaving him half blind and an excruciating headache.

  “Again,” Sable commanded. It was easy for her to say, the petite Nyxian was sitting on a blanket with a book and a bottle of wine. Jericho was the one that felt like hot pokers just got shoved in his eye sockets. “Don’t look at me like that. You’re the one that wants to master dark magic. I’m only helping.”

  “You call this help?” Jericho rubbed his eyes. He was worried that his vision was taking longer to recover with each repeated attempt. “You’re able to control dark magic at will. I can barely tap into it for five minutes before it becomes too much.”

  “That’s why you’re practicing,” the crimson-eyed woman said. “Nyxian’s are immortal. We’ve had plenty of time to master connecting with the darkness. I know it hurts, but you’ll get used to it. You need to trust me.”

  “I know,” Jericho sighed as his vision finally returned to normal. “It’s just frustrating.”

  “Okay,” Sable patted the blanket. “You can take a break. But only a short one because you still have other types of magic to practice today.”

  “Right,” Jericho sat down next to the scantily clad woman. She stared at him judgmentally as he flirtatiously ran his finger up and down her ivory shoulder. “There’s always so much to do.”

  Jericho’s daily routine was getting out of hand. As the most powerful mage in Forbidden Arcana, he’d acquired six familiars he needed to attend to as well as five spectral wolves and a horde of Magus Dragons. On top of that, he had the day to day running of the guild, magic practice, and research.

  “What are you smiling about?” Sable leaned into him so he could see right down her loose-fitting red gown. Her perky alabaster breasts and pink nipples were completely in view. She smiled playfully, “Are you thinking unsavory thoughts?”

  “For once I’m not,” Jericho laughed while running his hand along the petite beauty’s thigh. “I was thinking there used to be a time where creating a pillar of flame was all I wanted. Now I’m frustrated that I haven’t mastered dark magic.”

  The truth was he hadn’t mastered any magic. Forbidden Arcana’s magic system didn’t seem to have limits, or at the very least he hadn’t found any. His progress with elemental magic had slowed but it hadn’t stopped.

  It was the same with all of the types of magic he’d learned. No matter how much he trained his spirit it continued to grow. He’d even acquired an aura similar to those of the soul eater and Jinx, although not as powerful.

  The illusions he created with mind magic were becoming increasingly detailed and complex to the point Ariel and Cynthia could no longer teach him. The only person left who could push him to grow in mind magic was himself.

  Mirage was having similar issues with teaching Jericho body magic. Her transformations were limited to humans, animals, and select monsters. Jericho’s transformations were only limited by his knowledge of creature compositions. Because of that, she focused her lessons on people, efficiency, stamina, manipulation, and mimicry.

  While Jericho could transform into a molten drake, Mirage could walk into the palace of Dawn and convince the king she was his daughter without a single person questioning her. Of all of his familiars, Jericho recognized her as the most dangerous because she didn’t think like a familiar, she thought like a player.

  That was the addictive part about the magic of Forbidden Arcana. It wasn’t necessarily about the raw power, but how you used it. All of the sensory schools of magic were built around adaptability. Spirit magic could be used to attack but it could also be used to detect enemies or predict their movements. Mind magic could be used to make explosive sounds, bright lights, people, places, nightmarish visions, or blissful fantasies. And body magic could be used to become a powerful goliath or infiltrate a women’s bathhouse.

  Cosmic magic was an entirely different story. Light, dark, space, and time. The magic lacked versatility but was grossly overpowered. Light magic allowed him to create a barrier capable of withstanding even the most powerful attacks. And if light magic was an unbreakable shield, dark magic was a sword that cut through anything it touched. At least for as long as he could maintain them.

  Finally, there was spatial magic. He’d just acquired it but it was turning out to be one of his favorites, albeit inconsistent. Luna compared using spatial magic to tricking the universe. The goal was to convince yourself so undoubtedly that you were in one place instead of another that the universe started to believe it as well. The inconsistent part was it’s hard to convince yourself you’re in another place when the place you’re at is full of distractions.

  He just couldn’t help but laugh at how the more he advanced the less satisfied he seemed to be. He could cast blizzards and firestorms, sense enemies from a mile away, create illusionary demons, transform into mythical beasts, create unbreakable barriers, erase things from existence, and travel the world with a thought. And he still wanted more.

  “I’m as bad as Jinx,” Jericho said amusedly. �
��She’s always going on and on about how she needs to fight stronger enemies and become more powerful but I’m just as crazy. No matter how much I learn I want more. When will enough be enough for me?”

  “Silly boy,” Sable laughed. “It’s never enough. Just look at your familiars. Name one of us who isn’t stronger now than the day you acquired us.”

  “Fair point,” Jericho said thinking about his familiars. When he found Jinx, she struggled to fight a group of weak player killers. Now she was capable of decapitating skilled assassins with a single punch. Ariel used to be self-doubting and unreliable and now she was a confident fairy queen caring for a brood of dragons. It was the same with all of his familiars, they were growing. “So how much stronger are you?”

  “I’m not. But I’m happier,” Sable smiled as Jericho’s hand slid beneath her dress. He ran his fingers up her damp panties and smiled lecherously. Sable let out a soft moan as he rubbed her clit through her panties, “So much happier.”

  “Jericho!” Luna appeared in front of them. She glanced back and forth at Sable and him on the blanket before fixating on his hand. “Wait a minute! Nobody told me we were allowed to use training time as bonding time!”

  “We were taking a break,” Sable said disappointedly as Jericho pulled his hand away. She scowled at Luna, “Did you interrupt for a reason?”

  “Right,” Luna glanced judgmentally at Sable before turning back to Jericho. “Sapphire is here to see you.”

  “That can’t be good,” Jericho sighed. Sapphire was the leader of one of the largest guilds in Forbidden Arcana and she hated him, so it was unlikely she was paying him a visit to socialize. “On a scale of one to ten, how angry did she seem?”

  “She didn’t seem angry at all,” Luna answered cheerfully. “All smiles. I like her. And her hair is blue like mine!”

  “That’s a ten,” Jericho groaned while standing up. “Okay, is she waiting in the study?”

  “Actually,” Luna pointed to the manor’s roof. “She saw the dragons when she arrived and Ariel was more than happy to show them to her. Mirage was on the roof reading and told me to come and get you as soon as she saw Sapphire.”

  “Right,” Jericho glanced at Sable straightening her dress. “Looks like we’re going to have to cut things short today.”

  “That’s fine,” Sable said grumpily taking a sip of wine before grabbing her book. “But you better make up the time.”

  “Thanks,” Jericho said while picturing himself on the rooftop. After a few seconds, he started to feel the pull of the universe trying to keep him where he was and after that he was on the roof surrounded by plants and dragons. He saw Ariel gleefully introducing Sapphire to the dragons.

  “…Whippet, Izzy, Nibbles, be careful around him because he’s a biter,” Ariel said pointing to the teething dragon. She noticed Jericho arrive. “Master! I was just introducing Sapphire to all the dragons!”

  “And they’re all doing such a good job,” Theia said while stroking their heads.

  “Sapphire,” Jericho said pensively as he approached the azure-haired elf sorceress. “What have I done now?”

  “I imagine you can make an educated guess,” Sapphire’s smile exuded malice. “It’s only been a day since we’ve brokered peace.”

  “Is this about the dragons?” Jericho said glancing up at Lapis sleeping on the roof. Several baby dragons were resting peacefully on top of the large mother dragon. “Because if this is about the dragons…”

  “It’s not about the dragons,” Sapphire interrupted as one of the adolescent dragons sniffed her curiously. Sapphire struggled to maintain her threatening demeanor as two other dragons joined in. “Take another guess.”

  “That dragons are the only thing I can think of unless Terra did something,” Jericho said. “I only explored a dungeon and freed some dragons. Oh, is this about the black hole?”

  “Black hole?” Sapphire gave Jericho an incredulous look. “There’s a black hole somewhere?”

  “Not anymore,” Jericho chuckled. “I closed it. At least I think I did. I don’t really know the mechanics. Can a black hole that’s been erased from existence come back?”

  “It’s not about a damn black hole!” Sapphire snapped causing the dragons to chirp wildly.

  “Wouldn’t it be easier just to tell him,” Luna offered up. “I was with him all day yesterday and I can’t really think of anything else.”

  “Mai’s giant arachnids got out for a while,” Ariel offered. “But they didn’t leave the manor grounds.”

  “We still have to do something about them,” Jericho said thinking about the three giant spiders Mai was raising. He didn’t want spiders in the house but Mai already named them and they seemed to make her happy. “We can’t have giant spiders living in the house.”

  “But they’re really well behaved and don’t leave their rooms except to exercise,” Ariel pouted. “They’re really polite and affectionate and they’re vegetarian. And they’re really good at sewing. They even made this dress!”

  “They can sew?” Jericho asked curiously while considering the potential for a spider textile mill. “How well?”

  “This has nothing to do with giant spiders!” Sapphire yelled furiously as a layer of frost formed on her shoulders. Much like Jericho, Sapphire had issues keeping her elemental magic in check when she was emotional. The dragons chirped disapprovingly at her while backing away. “This is about Talia Memoria!”

  “Who?” Jericho asked confused.

  “Never heard of her,” Luna said.

  “Really?” Sapphire scoffed. “You don’t remember a beautiful crazy blonde?”

  “Do you mean Mirage?” Ariel gestured at the relaxing shapeshifter.

  “I’m not crazy,” Mirage said defensively from her reading chair. “I’m colorful.”

  “Hm,” Theia looked around. “It sounds like a fairly unique name. Sable might know. Where is she?”

  “She’s on the hill out back reading. I’ll go ask her,” Luna said before vanishing.

  “I have no idea who Talia Memoria is,” Jericho assured Sapphire as he crossed his arms smugly. “For once, I don’t think I did anything wrong.”

  “She mentioned you by name,” Sapphire said. “I can’t imagine you of all people would forget a gorgeous woman.”

  “I wouldn’t,” Jericho said confidently. “That’s why I’m absolutely positive I have nothing to do with her,”

  “Jericho,” Luna reappeared and rushed over to him. She leaned in and whispered in his ear, “Sable says that Talia Memoria was a famous time witch. Which got me thinking, you remember that old woman in the tower…”

  “Oh,” Jericho smiled politely at Sapphire, “I just remembered we did release a woman from the dungeon we cleared. But she was an old woman who looked like she could die any second.”

  “What do you know?” Sapphire said haughtily. “You did have something to do with it. Color me shocked. Anyway, yesterday evening she killed the king of Dawn as well as the heads of all the major noble houses. She also drained them of all their blood.”

  “Hey!” Ariel said angrily while covering Whippet’s ears. “There are children present!”

  “Is she serious?” Sapphire gestured at Ariel.

  “Afraid so,” Jericho smiled. “She’s their fairy godmother.”

  “I hardly see how some crazy woman killing the king of Dawn is our fault,” Luna held her hand to her chest as if she were offended. “We may have released her but you were the one in position to stop her.”

  “That’s a good point,” Mirage nodded. “You should have stopped her.”

  “I tried,” Sapphire said through clenched teeth to avoid upsetting the dragons. “As soon as I started to cast, I was dead.”

  “Interesting,” Jericho smiled involuntarily as thoughts of acquiring a new type of magic consumed him. “So that’s how time magic works.”

  “Do you think this is funny?” Sapphire growled. “The property value in Dawn is plummeting thanks to m
assive increases in soldiers, strife among the nobility, and concerns that this is only the beginning. Not only that, but I was about to become a marchioness. Do you know how long it takes to farm for that title?”

  “I’m sorry,” Jericho said unable to stop himself from smiling. If there was ever a doubt that he was addicted to power, it washed away as the thought of acquiring Talia Memoria consumed him. “What did she want with the blood?”

  “I’ve given you enough free information,” Sapphire smirked. “You won’t get more without trading some information of your own.”

  “Why aren’t you going after her yourself?” Jericho asked. It didn’t really make sense that Sapphire would offer up such a powerful familiar unless there were mitigating circumstances. Sapphire was pretty honest but given their rocky relationship he couldn’t help but suspect there was something she was hiding.

  “She wasn’t interested in becoming my familiar,” Sapphire said. “But her face lit up when I mentioned your name. You might have a chance with her. But, as I’ve said, I’ve given you enough free information. If you want to know why she was after the blood and where she was going, you’ll tell me where to find light, dark, and spatial magic users.”

  “First off, I have no idea where to find spatial magic users,” Jericho said gesturing at Luna. “Luna found me.”

  “That’s true,” Luna nodded. “And Ethereals can’t be found unless we want to be found. Also, most of us are terrified of interacting with mortals. We think it makes us crazy. I’m a bit of a black sheep in that regard. Which technically would make me crazy. Hm. Maybe they were onto something.”

  “Okay,” Sapphire squinted at Jericho. “Just tell me where to find light and dark familiars then.”

  “What are you discussing?” Sable asked excitedly as she walked out onto the roof. “I came as soon as Luna mentioned Talia. Is it true? Did you really say Talia Memoria?”