Colors danced behind my eyes, until the world fell into a haze of dark mist. Black fissures of power within arm's reach. Mine. Magic slammed into me, endless and vast like a tidal wave coming in and crushing over my head. I took it, absorbed it, glutted myself on it because it felt good. No consequences. No pain.

There are some absolute truths I believe in. You have to have principles, if you want to survive in this world. You need something to hold on to; to survive the bumps in the road life throws in your way. Call it what you want, but it's like there's a set of laws of physics my very own world operates on. I know who I am. My name is Anna Johnson. I am an elemental witch and my element is air. From the diary of Anna Johnson

a ricci rivero story

Of Cages and Crowns is now published as a Hardcover, and E-book with Wattpad Books! As a Wattpad reader, you can access both the Wattpad Original Edition and Wattpad Books Published Edition here upon purchase. Thank you so much for your support! ***** Destined to compete for the throne, Monroe Benson must fight nine girls for the right to rule. If she wins, she will be crowned queen. To lose is to die. ***** Monroe Benson is marked and goddess-touched, one of ten heirs to the Erydian throne. When the next Culling is announced, she has no choice but to prepare to fight for her life against nine other marked girls. When the competing heirs begin to drop dead outside of trials, Monroe must decide if her fire ability is enough to protect her from a new unseen enemy. Can she survive the Culling and take the throne, or should she kill the queen and dismantle the competition from the inside? In a palace of lies and power-hungry court members, Monroe must be careful who she trusts. The Culled Crown is the first book in The Culled Crown series. [[word count: 150,000-200,000 words]] Cover designed by Natasha Shaikh *** Publishing through Wattpad Books - 11-22-22 Pre-order now!

Dear Reader, The following work was found sealed in the library of a castle, belonging to an ancient noble family, in the Champagne region to the east of Paris. The dates of the events contained within are attributed to sometime in the 18th century. It appears that any other record of the Marquis featured within, and the estate that he kept, have since been expunged from historical record. It is as if there was an omertà (conspiracy of silence) which sought to erase him entirely from collective memory - one that might have succeeded if not for the astonishing recovery of these letters. It has been my duty to act as caretaker to this work since I agreed to its restoration. I have found, regrettably, that my colleagues have failed to grasp the momentous importance of these letters and their wider significance. There is, I admit, some question of authenticity that requires consideration. For my part, I have forcible reasons to believe that these letters are genuine. I have submitted the work to a broader audience, however, for precisely this object; I have hope that, by breaking outside the narrow remit of literary academia, I may yet find a willing readership committed to studying these letters as seriously as I have. As the Judge might once have heard it, so the Reader shall hear it now. Unfortunately, I must also include a notice of warning: the letters of Charlotte B--- speak of diabolical horrors and the direst human cruelty. I believe that, were these letters recognised, they would take the place as the first of the modern écritures maudits (damned writings), above de Sade or Corbière. Hence, I recognise that such subject matter is certainly not for everyone. Should you decide to turn to more pleasant reading, I certainly could not blame you. The world can be a sombre and unforgiving place without having to reflect on its grimmest parts. The choice to continue, Reader, is entirely your own. Yours faithfully, Dr. Samuel J. Collins