The Long Road to Darnassya

A Chronicle of Misadventures, Tragedies, and Absurdities

By G. S. Wicks

Ten years of servitude. One magically binding contract. And a deadly footrace through a realm of anti-magic knights, sea serpents, and baby-snatching faeries.

Kip Barnacle, an exiled wizard with a profound fondness for ale, has made a terrible mistake. After a night of heavy drinking, he wakes up bound by a magical contract to his lifelong rival, Archibald. The wager is simple: whoever walks the infamous Long Road to Darnassya first wins. The loser will spend the next decade as the winner's personal servant.

Refusing to become Archibald's butler, Kip sets off on a grueling journey across treacherous lands. Armed with his wand, a weathered staff, and a magically replenishing flask of ale, he must navigate a relentless gauntlet of dangers. From giant ogres and loot goblins to child-stealing faeries and a massive sea serpent, the road seems determined to kill him before the hangover ever could.

But to escape ten years of humiliating servitude, Kip must survive more than just the monsters on the road. As the miles wear him down, the protective walls around his memory begin to crack. The real danger isn't the cross-continent race; it's the horrifying truth of his past finally catching up to him: a devastating tragedy and a dark secret that cost him the only woman he ever loved.