An Oath of Cursed Souls

A peasant makes a deal with a forbidden magic wielder - steal the strongest soul in the empire in return for a wish. When she begins to fall for the man it belongs to, she must select between his life and her own.

❧

A dangerous bargain. A forbidden romance. One chance to succeed.

Enchanters have been chased down for centuries by the Ashaban Empire, loathed for the destructive powers they source from magical items. The matter is of little interest to Yumi, a cloth washer - until one of them, Erhan, rescues her from certain death and demands the strongest soul in the empire as the price. Swept across the country to the palace, she is tasked with the impossible; steal the soul of a disgraced family's heir, Zhen, who strives to regain his house's honor by claiming the throne. In return, Yumi will get one wish.

Yet her near-death experience has left its stigma on her; an enchanter's power she can barely control - a power that alarms both the Empire and the enchanter rebellion opposing it. Torn amidst a fight she never chose, Yumi must choose between magic and mortality; freedom and duty; Erhan and Zhen.

The price of failure? Her own life.

❧

Stunning cover by @lavendareyes

(Note: this is a first draft and a work in progress! Edits will come along once the first draft is finished so bare with me.)