
Angel Martinez has a new MM fantasy book out: The Mage on the Hill.
Tobyâs wild magic is killing him. The mage guilds have given up on him, and itâs only a matter of time before he dies in a spectacular, catastrophic bang. His only hope is an exiled wizard who lives in seclusionâand is rumored to have lost his mind.
The years alone on his hilltop estate have not been good for Darius Valstad. After the magical accident that disfigured him and nearly drowned Pittsburgh, he drifts through his days, a wraith trapped in memories and depression. Until a stricken young man collapses on his driveway, one who claims Darius is his last chance.
For the first time in fifteen years, Darius must make a choiceâleave this wild mage to his fate or take him in and try to teach him, which may kill them both. The old Darius, brash and commanding, wouldnât have hesitated. Darius the exile isnât sure he can find the energy to try.
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Giveaway
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Excerpt
Itâs killing him. We have to end this.
Too cruel to force him to keep struggling.
I donât understand. He should be finding a minor channel at least. Something. He shouldnât be at this level of physical distress and still be able to throw so much.
We canât condone pushing on. Dangerous for him and for everyone in a five-mile radius. Weâll have another Darius situation on our hands.
Youâll tell him?
As soon as heâs able to hear it, yes.
Toby drifted from gray misery to scarlet agony, the voices floating to him in fits and starts. His instructors, the directorâthey were talking about him and they sounded done with him, just like the previous six guilds that had tossed him to the curb. Wild magic. Unplaceable on the web of Arcana. Unsustainable and eventually deadly. The only remaining bets anyone could make now were how many people he took with him when he went out with a catastrophic bang.
Hands lifted him. The familiar sensations of stretcher and rolling followed him down into the dark.
***
âWhatâs this?â Toby peered at the papers on the rolling tray, not quite up to focusing through his pounding headache.
The director pulled a chair close and cleared his throat uncomfortably. âWe discussed that this might be a possibility someday, Tobias.â
âWeâve talked about a bunch of stuff.â
Director Whittaker let out a sharp sigh.
âNot saying it to be a smartass, sir. I canât get my eyes to read this just yet.â Toby shifted on the infirmary bed. His fifth stay in this wing of the guildhall and the mattresses hadnât managed to grow any more comfortable. âCouple hours I should be able to.â
âAh. My apologies.â The director returned to a concerned parental pose, hands clasped between his knees as he leaned forward. âThese are your separation papers from the Montchanin Guildhall.â
Toby swallowed hard. âYouâre giving up on me? Already?â
âIâm so sorry, Tobias.â Director Whittaker patted his arm. âThe Kovar method is nearly infallibleââ
âNearly. You said nearly.â Despite his pounding head, Toby sat up, hanging on to the directorâs hand as hard as he could. âPlease donât do this. You said youâd help me.â
âWe said we would do the best we could. Wild magicâŚ. Itâs unusual, certainly, but cases of unplaceable wild magic like yours arenât unheard of. We should have seen some sign of channeling by now. Some directed trickle that would have let us help you find your place in the web.â
Toby let go to fall back against the pillows, hurting, nauseated, and dizzy. His uncontrolled magical explosions, each one harder on him than the time before, had only been getting more volatile and unpredictable. âI donât have anywhere else to go. Canât I stay here? Until, well, untilâŚ.â
âItâs too dangerous for the other students. For the staff and other guild members.â Director Whittaker took his hand again. âTobias, you blew a hole in the guidance roomâs wall today.â
Ten feet of weapons-grade Kevlar and steelâthat shouldnât have been possible. Holy crap. âDid I hurt anyone?â
âNot today. But I canât risk lives any further. Itâs reached that point where weâve tried everything we could. When you feel up to it, read the packet. There are several wonderful hospice options nearby. Beautiful places where youâll be cared for and made comfortable. The guild will take care of you and cover any expenses.â
Drugged to the eyeballs so I wonât do any more damage. Allowed to starve to death in the nicest possible surroundings. Toby closed his eyes, his exhausted brain banging up against walls of possibility, trying to find him a way out. All this time heâd been sure one of the guilds would find a way. They were the experts. Now? Now he was terrified. The experts were telling him he needed to accept his impending death. No, no, no, fuck that. âSir, whoâs Darius?â
âAh, you heard that, did you?â The director sat back and pulled out a microfiber cloth to give his glasses a meticulous cleaning before he went on. âDarius Valstad caused one of the greatest magical disasters in recent memory. He nearly destroyed Pittsburgh. He pulled magic too far from his channelings, the result much like a wild magic accident. The catastrophe was narrowly averted.â
âOh. That sounds about as bad as it gets. What happened to him?â
âHe nearly died. His guild status was revoked, his teaching of any more students forbidden.â
Toby turned that over a few times, his brain fumbling and dropping concepts along the way. âSo, but heâs still alive?â
âAs far as I know. He lives in isolation, oh, not far from here, with the promise that he will no longer attempt anything beyond personal magic.â
âBut he was once like me? And he lived?â Toby knew it was conclusion jumping, but he was desperate enough to reach for anything.
The directorâs sigh was slower this time, more melancholy. âTobias, he found his channels long ago, both his major and minor Arcana. Yes, he lives because as long as he respects the web, his magic wonât tear him apart. He had some early success with teaching unplaceables, but Pittsburgh was the ultimate result of his unorthodox methods.â
âYes, sir. Of course.â
Director Whittaker rose with one last pat to Tobyâs shoulder. âGet some rest. Weâll talk again in the morning. Please keep in mind weâre not simply turning you out onto the street. We want to be certain youâre looked after properly.â
Toby nodded, no longer trusting his voice. He didnât turn his head to watch the director leave, staring at the white ceiling tiles instead. Ugly ceiling tiles. Places where you have to lie in bed like hospitals and infirmaries should have nice ceilings with meadows and bunnies painted on them. I donât want to die. Oh gods⌠I donât want to die.
Author Bio

The unlikely black sheep of an ivory tower intellectual family, Angel Martinez has managed to make her way through life reasonably unscathed. Despite a wildly misspent youth, she snagged a degree in English Lit, married once and did it right the first time, gave birth to one amazing son, and realized at some point that she could get paid for writing.
Published since 2006, Angelâs cynical heart cloaks a desperate romantic. Youâll find drama and humor given equal weight in her writing and donât expect sad endings. Life is sad enough.
She currently lives in Delaware in a drinking town with a college problem and writes Science Fiction and Fantasy centered around gay heroes.
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