Promised to the Pyre

Series:

Tropes:

Release Date:

Promised to the Pyre #1

Forced Proximity, Forbidden Magic, Age Gap, Fear of Magic,

November 13, 2025

Unwanted Powers, Magic Training, Strong Female Characters

One fighter. A lethal secret. A war she can't escape.

A barrier divides two deadly worlds. In one, humans are hunted, killed, or worse, used as weapons against their own people. In the other, fear of magic runs rampant, and anyone associated with it is burned alive.

When human-born Elyn witnesses a murder at the hands of a magralot demon, a magic she never wanted erupts, earning her a one-way ticket to the pyre.

Desperate to escape the flames, Elyn devises a plan to frame someone else. There’s just one problem—the handsome bastard kidnaps her instead.

Aiden, a reckless haxa warrior, drags Elyn across the barrier to Tör military camp to harness her magic. She must learn to control it—and fast—before it gets her killed. Or costs her the only home she’s ever known.

But Elyn isn’t the only one hiding something, and the unraveling of lies threatens more than just camp. Forced to choose between her life and her humanity, Elyn must expose her secrets or condemn Tör’s people to brutal deaths.

World Map

Explore the provinces, the magic barrier, and everything else that shapes Elyn’s world.

Tör Camp Map

Step inside Tör Camp—from Skyreach Field to the Bladeshollow Hall, where warriors train and secrets burn.

Glossary

Haxa

Haxa is the collective term for those whose magic comes from within. Their magic restores itself through rest and food.

Aerial: Haxa air force. All aerials were trained as venandi, but they gave up part of their magic to transform, gain wings, and the ability to fly. Most aerials are unable to heal others or to portel. Once the transformation is complete, it cannot be reversed. Aerials are symbolized by a griffin.

Aquatic: Haxa navy. All aquatic were trained as venandi, but have traded part of their magic for the ability to breathe underwater. Some aquatic choose to live solely in the water. Most aquatic are unable to portel. Once the transformation is complete, it cannot be reversed. The aquatic are symbolized by a kraken.

Serit: Serits are half-haxa and half-striga. Their magic allows them to influence objects, create visions, and portel themselves and others across great distances. By drinking a person’s blood, a serit can uncover truths about the person’s past, morals, intentions, or plans for the future. If the subject is afraid, there are few limits to what the serit can discern in the blood. Serits are symbolized by a lynx.

Shifter: Shifters are haxa whose magic carries a mutation. They can alter their appearance and size at will. The trait is genetic and often runs in families. Many shifters live disguised as venatrix. Shifters are symbolized by a chimera.

Venandi: Haxa ground force. Venandi are haxa warriors trained to wield their magic in combat, heal themselves, and portel themselves and others. They form the foundation of the haxa military, from which both aerials and aquatic originate. The venandi are symbolized by a warg.

Venatrix: Haxa civilians. Venatrix include healers, smiths, farmers, fishermen, and other trades. Venatrix use less magic than other haxa, as a result, their power is more limited. Unlike other haxa, venatrix still age, though at a slower pace than humans. Venatrix magic often takes on an elemental form. The venatrix are symbolized by a moose.

Desicruci and their spawn

Desicruci: Desicruci entered the world eight hundred years ago after casting their former world into eternal darkness. In addition to sharing the needs of magralots, desicruci consume magic and light, leaving crumbling dusk behind. Desicruci are powerful, manipulative and lack empathy for the worlds they ruin.

Magralot: Magralots are part desicruci and part human or haxa. They need blood and suffering to survive. Magralots relish destruction. Their foremost purpose is to serve the desicruci. Magralots are manipulative and lack empathy for others.

Wielders

These are magic wielders who cannot generate magic within themselves. Instead, they draw it from nature or from individuals around them.

Iroas: Iroas were humans who learned to wield the magic in the world around them. They lived apart from other humans, closer to the haxa, and came to no longer consider themselves human. By wielding great amounts of magic each day, iroas could cease aging. The last iroas died two centuries ago.

Striga: Strigas were dragged from another realm by the desicruci. Though they had no innate magic, they were adept at wielding the power of the world around them. The last striga died six centuries ago, ending the First Contact War.

Glossary of Terms

Cingo: A powerful spellmaker capable of both casting and breaking spells. One of the striga artifacts.

Ember note: A letter spelled to ignite after being read.

Epeigon: A form of mental communication, most commonly used on a larger scale as an emergency signal.

Haxa Council: The ruling body of Maer, the haxa lands. The Haxa Council is composed of representatives from all six groups of haxa.

Ignis: A weapon capable of burning magralots. One of the striga artifacts.

Magmatic shackles: Shackles that torture the wearer if they attempt to use magic.

Magxa: A derogatory collective term for magralots and haxa, used by humans.

Portel: A magical form of transportation that moves a person or object from one place to another instantly.

Solfröja: A collective name for flowers that only grow in areas with high concentrations of magic. They are characterized by petals in gold, copper, crimson, or bronze, regardless of shape.

Tutela pattern: A protective spell cast by painting a tutela pattern onto an object such as doors, walls, weapons, one’s skin, or similar. The most powerful tutela patterns are Defensio and Praesidium, both of which are required to create a ward.

Vigilia: An obsidian looking glass. One of the striga artifacts.

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