Witches, Boys, and Other Monsters

Eliza Scaggs is the only woman in the wizard’s guild, and she’s determined to prove she belongs. Exhausted from her secret government work, she’s grown weary of the rumors painting her as a monstrous witch—especially since most of them aren’t true. She doesn’t stalk children (though her pet monster might), and her only pact is with her tea supplier. When she takes on Oliver, a quiet, unsettling apprentice, she hopes mentorship will silence the gossip. But the boy’s whispered questions about “fixing” people hint at deeper troubles—ones that might unravel them both. In a world where magic fuels industry and gods meddle in wars, Eliza fights to carve her place while grappling with the darkness lurking in her basement—and in her apprentice. The real question isn’t whether she’s a monster, but whether she can save Oliver before he becomes one.