Ruthless

Glory awaits the victor. Death stalks them all.Second year at the Hundred Halls was supposed to be about proving your magical worth. For Iona and her friends, it becomes a fight for survival.The Second Year Games promise glory-and the coveted Elixir of Knowledge-but when students start turning up dead in the middle of supposedly protected spaces, the competition warps into something far more dangerous.While the rest of the Halls clamor to win, a forgotten horror stirs beneath the Obelisk, devouring dreams and twisting reality. As accusations mount and the line between illusion and truth shatters, Iona and her friends must navigate betrayal, bloodshed, and brutal challenges that test more than just their magic. Because winning the Games might grant them knowledge-but surviving it will demand everything. And releasing what lies beneath may be the biggest mistake they've ever made. Thomas K. Carpenter is a full time contemporary fantasy author with over 50 independently published titles. His bestselling, multi-series universe, The Hundred Halls, has over 25 books and counting. His stories focus on fantastic families, magical academies, and epic adventures. All the books can be found at major retailers and directly from the author at https://thomaskcarpenter.com/.You can sign up for his newsletter at https://www.subscribepage.com/trialsofmagicWhen he is not writing, he enjoys playing turn-based strategy games and MTG, skiing, hiking, traveling, and chilling on the couch with his wife and their little dog, Loki, at home in the beautiful mountains of Colorado.