Claudie Arseneault

Fate and friendship brought Horace, Rumi, Keza, and Aliyah together in Rumi's sentient self-propelling wagon. They seek the forest haunting Aliyah's dream, hoping for answers about the elf's past and unique abilities-but first, they need to traverse a world haunted by Fragments, dangerous shards that can possess travellers and react to Aliyah's presence.They've reached Virze, a marvel of art and engineering and a city in which all acts of creation are beloved. A perfect occasion to explore and rest before the next leg of their journey... except that Rumi desperately wants to avoid his hometown and the demons of his past.When the Wagon crew realises half of those might be fears of his own making, however, they refuse to leave. But between the curse that ran him out of town and the source of his engineering skills, Rumi has been keeping even more secrets than they'd expected. He'll need all their support to face the loved ones left behind and prove to all, himself first and foremost, what he is truly capable of.

Fate and friendship brought Horace, Rumi, Keza, and Aliyah together in Rumi's sentient self-propelling wagon. They seek the forest haunting Aliyah's dream, hoping for answers about the elf's past and unique abilities-but first, they need to traverse a world haunted by Fragments, dangerous shards that can possess travellers and react to Aliyah's presence. They finally leave the coast to undertake a long ocean crossing filled with the sailors' brand-new games and fearsome myths, but no one expects the latter to come to life. At sea, the Fragments that roam the world have coalesced into a gigantic beast-the kraken of legends-and unfortunately, it shares its landbound cousins' obsession with Aliyah. The crew may have bested countless storms, but no amount of sea-worthiness can save the ship from the wrath of its colossal tentacles.If they want to escape the kraken and continue their journey, the wagon's team will need to unravel more of the Fragments' mysteries, and learn to listen beyond the murmur of the sea.

Fate and friendship brought Horace, Rumi, Keza, and Aliyah together in Rumi's sentient self-propelling wagon. They seek the forest haunting Aliyah's dream, hoping for answers about the elf's past and unique abilities-but first, they need to traverse a world haunted by Fragments, dangerous shards that can possess travellers. Their journey has brought them to Alleaze, a coastal city from which they hope to book passage across the ocean. But Alleaze's regular life has stopped, giving way to the excitement of the Sea Spirit Festival, a weeks-long event. Forcefully grounded, the Wagon crew is more than happy to partake in the local festivities, brimming with games, seaside delicacies, and legends about the Bay. But the Festival is more than one big celebration: it is a crucial time during which the Bay's Spirit guides its residents to their new life path and chooses a Storm Catcher, a divine hero meant to revitalize the Spirit's strength.When the Festival winds down and no Storm Catcher has been chosen, panic washes over Alleaze and the Wagon crew finds itself embroiled in the subsequent chaos. In order to help Alleaze find its local hero and be allowed to sail out, they will need to confront the truth behind the legend of the Sea Spirit-and survive it.

Fate and friendship brought Horace, Rumi, and Aliyah together in Rumi's Wandering Wagon of Wonderful Wares, a sentient self-propelling wagon. They seek the forest haunting Aliyah's dream, hoping for answers about their past and their unique abilities-but for that, they need to traverse a world haunted by Fragments, dangerous shards that can possess travellers.With the Fragments in the wilderness, banditry was the last danger Horace had expected on the road-but not even that could stop Keza Nesmit. Swift and deadly with a staff, Keza drops on the Wagon crew, claiming most of their provisions before vanishing back into the Tesrima Ridge. As if to compound their bad luck, the tunnel that serves as the only pass through the mountain is flooded and impassable.Keza reappears, and she's willing to show them the source of the flooding, a waterway blocked by Fragments, in the hopes that they can unblock it-and just like with the stolen food, she won't answer any questions about her motives, no matter how friendly. Abrasive, confident, and eager to bicker, Keza makes for a thorny companion, but they'll need to work together to free the pass and continue their travel. As they unravel the Fragments' blockage, so, too, do they chip away at Keza's walls. But the cost of breaking both is far higher than anticipated, and Horace is about to learn that some secrets are better left untouched.

Innkeep, hunter, blacksmith, nurse-Horace has apprenticed for every clan in the domed city of Trenaze, and they've all rejected em. Too hare-brained. Too talkative. Too slow. Ever the optimist, e has joined Trenaze's guards to be mentored. Horace has high hopes to earn eir place during eir trial at the Great Market. That is, until the glowing shards haunting the world break through the city's protective dome, fused together in a single, monstrous amalgam of Fragments.Armed with a sword, a shield, and far too little training, Horace doubts eir ability to defend the market-goers. But eir last stand is interrupted by a mysterious elven figure who can dissipate the Fragments with a single, strange sentence: your story is my story.From the moment it is uttered, Horace knows the sentences holds true for em, too-and when the elf collapses in the middle of the market, e carries them to safety, to recover away from the panicked crowd and inevitable questions from eir fellow guards. It could cost em eir apprenticeship-eir last chance to find eir place in eir home city-but Horace cannot resist the pull of this mystery elf and the call of a new friend.Aliyah has but one desire: to leave Trenaze's safe boundaries and find the forest that haunts their dreams. After an afternoon of board games in their quiet, sharp-witted company, Horace is ready to follow, confronting Fragments and other dangers of the road to understand what happened that day, hear Aliyah's laugh again and finally feel like e belongs.

Ad le has only one goal: catch the purple-haired thief who broke into her home and stole her exocore, thus proving herself to her new police team. Little does she know, her thief is also the local baker. Claire owns the Croissant-toi, but while her days are filled with pastries and customers, her nights are dedicated to stealing exocores. These new red gems are heralded as the energy of the future, but she knows the truth: they are made of witches' souls. When her twin-a powerful witch and prime exocore material-disappears, Claire redoubles in her efforts to investigate. She keeps running into Ad le, however, and whether or not she can save her sister might depend on their conflicted, unstable, but deepening relationship.

Nothing is going according to plan for Diel Dathirii and his allies. Hellion has entrenched his power in House Dathirii, Hasryan is in Lord Allastam's clutches, and with no one left to poison Master Avenazar, it's only a matter of time before he seeks revenge. While Nevian scrambles to put together his magical trap, Larryn reaches out to the only person he trusts to save Hasryan: Sora Sharpe. Their impulsive rescue will hurtle Isandor towards a final confrontation-one last opportunity to reclaim House Dathirii and face Master Avenazar. But in order to seize this chance, Diel Dathirii and his allies will need to answer one question: what price are they willing to pay to ensure the future of their loved ones within the City of Spires? City of Exile is the fourth and final installment of the City of Spires series, a multi-layered political fantasy led by an all-queer cast. Fans of complex storylines criss-crossing one another, elves and magic, and strong friendships and found families will find everything they need within these pages.

The Myrian Enclave is in disarray after a Dathirii strike team interrupts Avenazar's dangerous ritual, but Diel Dathirii is in no position to take advantage of it while his home is lost to Allastam's soldiers.Despite the Myrian trade war's brutal turn, its key battles still happen in the shadows. Resistance inside the Dathirii Tower organizes itself around the family's new steward, Yultes, even though he is as uncertain of his allegiances as everyone else. Outside, Branwen reaches to every spymaster resource she has to strengthen their position and undermine the Myrian-Allastam alliance.When Master Avenazar recovers from his grievous injury and sets his mind to revenge, the unsteady alliances forged within and without the Dathirii Tower will decide the city's future.City of Deceit is the third installment of the City of Spires series, a multi-layered political fantasy led by an all-queer cast for fans elves, magic, and strong platonic bonds that defy all odds.

The whole city is searching for Hasryan--some for revenge and justice, others to save their friends. Yet no one knows where to find him except Lord Arathiel Brasten, who vanished 130 years ago only to magically return. Lord Diel Dathirii's struggle to free his city from the neighbouring imperialistic enclave is far from over. Enemies gather around him, and without allies in Isandor's upper spheres, he must place his fate in Lower City residents. Little does he know, the city he's trying to save might well save him in return. ------ City of Betrayal is the second installment of the City of Spires trilogy, a multi-layered political fantasy led by an all LGBTQIAP+ cast. Fans of complex storylines criss-crossing one another, elves and magic, and strong friendships and found families will find everything they need within these pages.

Henry Schmitt wants nothing more than a quiet life and a daily ration of instant noodles. At least until he learns the terrible secret that drove his father away--the Plague that killed his mother and ravaged his country was created by those now in power. He has one chance to help expose the conspiracy: a ragtag band of rebels needs a pilot for their hot air balloon, where they can launch a broadcast revealing the truth. If Henry accepts, he can experience his dream of flight. But he would have to leave his safe, tranquil life behind ... and bring the wrath of a corrupt government upon his head.