The Mortal And The Wicked-- O...

By The_twilight_writer

735 189 116

ONC 2023 Shortlister His features had haunted her for years; a boy with silver eyes peering out from beneath... More

The riddle
Prologue; Inklings of magic
Chapter 1; A dreadful beginning indeed
Chapter 2; The first whispers of magic
Chapter 3; A tale within a tale
Chapter 4; By invitation only
Chapter 5; The invitation
Chapter 6; The silver gates and other anomalies
Chapter 7; In which Lucy makes a dreadful error.
Chapter 8; An interrupted tea time
Chapter 9; Wicked grins and dreadful games
Chapter 10; Dreadful choices and a very grumpy Lucy Caramonte
Chapter 11; In which Azrael grows rather light-headed
Chapter 12; A lie of love and other matters
Chapter 13; The beginnings to a game
Chapter 14; Of keys and minor arguments
Chapter 15; Tune for a dreamer
Chapter 16; To find one's heart
Chapter 17; Of dying magic and love long lost
Chapter 18; A price more than gold
Chapter 19; In steps unseen
Chapter 20; A shadow's song
Chapter 21; Of time lost and found
Chapter 22; In which Azrael grows far more irritating
Chapter 23; Of decaying magic and other abnormalities
Chapter 24; By which the night falls
Chapter 25; To death's final song
Chapter 26; And what came after
Chapter 27; Lucy and the Baron make a glorious plan indeed
Epilogue; A search for the night
ANNOUNCEMENT FOR A SEQUEL???

Final thoughts from the author

14 3 3
By The_twilight_writer

Hey everyone, if you've made it this far I just want to thank you for taking the time to read through The Mortal And The Wicked!

This story was based off a concept from a short story I wrote called At Autumn's Edge and if you've read through that you'll know quite a few things changed-- namely the nature of the carnival.

These changes were made because, while I enjoyed a spookier version of the Carnival Of The Lost, the details present in that story worked better as a short story and I wasn't certain it would carry over well into a full length novella. Instead, I took a more surreal approach with the carnival and really tried to push my limits with how far my imagination could go when thinking up what a magical carnival could entail.

As with every entry I've written for ONC in the years I've joined, I tried writing outside my comfort zone and dabbling a bit more into romance. 

In all honesty, I wish I would have had more time to put Lucy and Azrael in scenes together, but due to the word count and the deadline that came a lot sooner than I was ready for I felt as though the tension between them fell a little flat.

Sometimes when it comes to the ONC it's all about finishing what you've got and submitting it before the deadline lol.

That being said, I do intend to rewrite this book almost entirely and perhaps turn it into a full length novel with more romance and an overall darker plot. I would hope to include Azrael a bit more as well as his character was the most fun for me to write. And of course, feedback from those of you that have read this novella in its entirety would be most appreciated-- I wanna know what my readers what to read about!

In the end, this novella was a great opportunity for me to write something lighter and a bit humorous at times, as well as allowing me to let my imagination run wild. 

The plot was a struggle at times, but in the end I fell in love with the characters and their story and I hope to write with them again in the near future.


Once again, thank you so much to those who read this story from beginning to end. Your support means a lot!

--Twilight


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