Cursed Soul

Born of wood, cloth, and a substantial dose of magic, Velsa is a Fanarlem, a beautiful artificial girl. Raised to be a concubine, she has seen her friends at the House of Perfumed Ribbons sold off to be the pets of wealthy men. Now her own dreaded day has come. Grau Thanneau is a kind and handsome sorcerer who expects to own a spectacular piece of spellwork - he doesn't realize that everything he has been told about Fanarlem is a lie. Velsa is not a dull-witted doll, but an intelligent and luminous soul who captivates his heart. Neither of them expected to fall in love, in a land where the law will never recognize her as his equal. When Grau brings Velsa with him as he serves in the border patrol, they encounter odd magic sent from the High Sorcerer's palace - or is it magic at all? War is brewing, and with it, the winds of opportunity. Velsa has powers of her own, powers no Fanarlem girl should have, but when the enemy attacks, she might be the only one who can stand against them.

Velsa is Grau's wife and a free woman - thanks to a lie. And the High Sorcerer's Palace is no place for keeping a secret, with its bustling social life of parties and balls. Velsa and Grau soon attract the notice of none other than one of the Four Generals, who sees promise in Velsa's power and wants to use her. But that would mean serving the High Sorcerer. If anyone finds out what she truly is, she would lose everything. Velsa is torn between her old role as a concubine and her place in a strange new world. She needs to stay quiet, but she can't resist when she sees a young enslaved doll girl being hired out. She brings the girl home and soon, Sorla is like family. But Sorla has secrets of her own, and as everyone's secrets unravel, they tear Velsa and Grau apart forever....

Following a fierce battle, Grau's life hangs in the balance. Velsa, Sorla, and Kessily seek healing and refuge in the land of Laionesse, only to learn that Grau's injuries may be beyond help - unless they can beg a favor from the great necromancer Dormongara, who lives alone in a castle on a mountain and is notoriously unkind to visitors. He demands a steep price indeed--a bride. Kessily reluctantly accepts his offer, but meeting the necromancer leads to unexpected consequences, bringing an old nemesis back into Velsa's life along with a notorious gang of bandits who see Grau as an intruder to be snuffed out. The Miralem land might not quite be the refuge they hoped for, but it might be a safe home for their found family anyway, as they make friends with a family of wyvern breeders, stand up for local Fanarlem, and even catch the attention of a kind prince--but it all might end in tragedy. Velsa and Grau's fate hangs in the balance in the final test of their love. Can a sorcerer and a doll girl finally find happiness anywhere in this world?