Heavy is the Head

They are pissing off a powerful man to chase a fairytale. If Laszlo had any sense he would have stayed home with his pet lizard Matthew.

Unfortunately, Laszlo is terrible at saying No.

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Laszlo, a tenured professor of magic at a prestigious university, thinks he has left his difficult upbringing behind. But Aart drags him back when he convinces Laszlo's closest friend, the Elven historian Fen, to join him on a dangerous expedition.

Laszlo grew up with Aart, but they haven't spoken in years. Like Fen, Aart is obsessed with finding the grave of Laszlo's distant ancestor, King Therel, an almost mythical figure who died centuries ago. They say the king isn't dead; he only sleeps, but Laszlo stopped believing in those fairytales long ago.

Worse still, Laszlo is falling for Aart, and fast. Laszlo wants to bring Fen home safely and resume his quietly miserable life, ideally without a broken heart, but the past is waiting for him in more ways than one.

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CW: fantasy racism