Hi, welcome to Curse Words, an urban fantasy web serial that updates every Saturday. We have a Discord channel.
Currently, we’re partway through the fourth and last book of the series. The books can be read on the website, or as text documents found on the Discord. We also publish on Royal Road and Scribblehub, if you prefer to read there.
Book 1: The Cursed Heart (read here)
Kayden was six months old when the doctor found the curse in his heart. From then on, his life was a struggle to manage it, to keep it locked away and dormant and above all secret, dreading the day that it would finally break free and wreak havoc. Now he’s fourteen, and that day has come.
Things look bad, but there’s hope — the world’s most prestigious magical school is willing to take him in, keep him safe, and pay his legal fees to avoid bankrupting his family. Most importantly, they can teach him to control his curse, to avoid ever hurting anyone else. It sounds far too good to be true, but what other option does he have?
Kayden quickly finds himself embroiled in a large political game he doesn’t understand. But he’d better learn fast. Because the secrets of his new school run deeper than he ever expected, and his actions have far more dangerous consequences than he could ever have known.
Book 2: The Labyrinth of Dreams (read here)
Having caught one attempted murderer and proven to the world he isn’t one himself, things are looking up for Kayden. Sure, recent revelations about his spell mean he needs to rethink his entire worldview and his future, but he’s been doing that every couple of months since getting his scholarship, so he’s had practice. From here on, it should be smooth sailing; nothing to worry about but trying to keep up in his magic lessons and not letting his smart mouth start any blood feuds with rich kids at parties.
But something’s going on. The Fiore is convinced that Kayden’s a key player in a political game he wants nothing to do with, Max is openly fighting with his idol over things he won’t fully explain, and the words of prophecies past keep haunting Kayden’s dreams. Something big is coming, and to figure it out, Kayden, Max and Kylie will have to venture places that make his Initiation look like child’s play.
And make a decision that will irrevocably alter all their lives.
Book 3: The Heiress of Duniyasar (read here)
Kayden expected their radical use of theoretically impossible magic to result in a bit of unwanted attention. He was prepared for random mages coming out of the woodwork to try to figure out exactly how they’d done it. But as it turns out, Kayden’s new bond with Kylie isn’t the biggest issue that Dorm Australia finds themselves having to deal with.
When secrets about Kylie’s past come to light, the group find themselves having to walk a careful political tightrope, a problem only exacerbated when it turns out that Kayden has other friends who aren’t exactly the people they’ve been pretending to be. When Kylie prophesies the assassination of a member of one of the most powerful families in Refujeyo, it’s up to Dorm Australia to find the assassin before they can enact their plan and plunge mage society into war.
Book 4: From the Top of the World (read here)
With the assassin dealt with and the consequences seemingly stalled by politics, Dorm Australia focus on what’s actually important — figuring out how to save the world. Between Kayden’s subconscious, Kylie’s forward thinking and Max’s research, the three put together a strong theory and the nature of the danger they face and what needs to be done about it. But knowledge is only half the battle, because it quickly becomes apparent that eliminating this threat will have a greater cost than any of them were expecting. Even with the entire world in the balance… are they willing to pay it?
We also have some supplemental bonus stories, found here.
Thanks for reading!
Curse Words 