Book 1 Summary:
Something sinister is afoot in Ardenia.
Tallon, the half-elf son of a wealthy lord, is sent to the backwater port of Ballsdeep Bay to investigate suspicious activities tied to the local Merchants' Guild. There, he and his flying ferret immediately encounter a mysterious exploding crate and a strangely beautiful young man named Ben.
An orphan raised by an innkeeper, Ben is a thief with a penchant for attracting stray animals and dressing as a woman. Tallon is immediately drawn to him, and when Ben is caught and nearly hanged for pick-pocketing, Tallon intervenes and helps him escape. Sought by the authorities, Ben asks Tallon to get him out of Ballsdeep. Tallon agrees, provided Ben helps him find proof of the Merchants' Guild's wrongdoing.
Tallon's investigations reveal that the crate contained chemicals from Dwarven lands, and that the Merchant's Guild is engaged in corruption, extortion, black market contraband, and illegal trade activities. Targeting the guild leader's house, Ben embarks on a risky heist and finds a box containing evidence of something worse: the exploitation of a sentient species of tree-people.
Injured as he escapes, Ben returns to Tallon with the evidence, and the pair navigate a growing attraction as Tallon treats Ben's wound. Though his intentions begin with lust, Tallon finds himself drawn to Ben's warmth and kindness, noting his innate magic, which as a human, he shouldn't possess.
Seeking answers of his own, Tallon pays a visit to the Governor of Ballsdeep Bay. There, he crosses paths with a local woman named Maisie, who has been wrongfully sentenced to indentured servitude after attempting to stand up to the Merchant Guild. Bargaining with the governor for her freedom, Tallon negotiates successfully and picks up a clue related to the contraband passing through the port, which points him towards the College of Alchemical Arts in the Ardenian capital of Ardensfall.
Now working as a team, Tallon, Ben, and Maisie escape Ballsdeep and set sail for Grenlow Harbor, where they regroup and purchase supplies for the long journey to Ardensfall. Having suffered terrible seasickness en route, Ben doubts his ability to continue on the journey, but Maisie and Tallon find a solution, even as Ben and Tallon's attraction deepens despite some setbacks.
With their bonds strengthened and a new mission at hand, the three unlikely heroes embark on the long journey to Ardensfall.
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A Mischievous Tale of Magical Mayhem
FantasyIn a world of magic and mayhem, where ferrets fly and trees talk, three unlikely heroes find their fates entangled with a deadly mystery. ***** Tallon is a scoundrel-an elf/human hybrid ranger who leaves a trail of chaos in his wake. With only his w...
