Burn Her They Said

Is there a limit to what you would endure for those you love? Imperial Grand Witch Tasch was born with emotional influencing magic stronger and stranger than any other witch-an Anomaly the Emperor requires to manage his temper and that of those he interacts with under threat of harm to those she cares the most. He assigns five sorcerers-all Anomalies like her-each strongest in their magical form.

After years of enduring the hardship of serving the Emperor, they form an alliance intending to free every citizen. That is until a new Anomaly is discovered, a sorcerer named Varic whose magic far surpasses Tasch's Lead Guard. The Emperor assigns him to the Imperial Army to distract from the Imperial Witch being no longer being protected by only the strongest in the continent.

He changes everything. Varic is made to strengthen his magic until it is too much for him to contain, resulting in the worst magical catastrophe in history. With power the Emperor cannot risk losing, he sends Tasch to rehabilitate Varic, falsely believing her magic alone can make him want to live again.

Tasch soon learns Varic is a survivor of the same corrupt system and in the months it takes to heal him they forge a connection where they fall in love during the only freedom Tasch has experienced away from the Emperor's direct control of her. A love so forbidden, the consequences of it being discovered are unlivable. Oppression forms unbreakable bonds.

Tasch's magic is fading-a truth she must hide from all except her Guards when Varic is appointed to oversee her detail, where he protects her with a resolve to live in order to make the world a better place for her. With bordering lands requiring resources the Emperor hoards, and with no heir apparent due to his determination to become immortal, Tasch and Varic must navigate their feelings in forced proximity while trying to survive increased attacks on the Imperial Palace. Dragonfall meets A Discovery of Witches in this dark fantasy, forbidden romance.