Book excerpt: In thisnovella prequel to the YA fantasy novel Curio by Evangeline Denmark, after losing his family to a devastating plague, Olan is saved by a group of “magickers” who are searching for the cure. But as he accompanies his rescuers to their alpine clinic, mysteries arise surrounding their potions and powers of alchemy. Especially after Olan notices a deep division forming between those who seek to defend the purity of the healing alchemical work and those who wish to wield it as a powerful weapon. Olan is thrust into the midst of this dissention after he discovers he is somehow special—chosen as a guardian like the clinic’s founder. As he spends time with two of his rescuers—Auriana, who has a strong healer’s gift and beauty to match, and Alaric, a brooding young man wrestling with his father’s cruel beliefs—Olan realizes he may have the power to direct the course of blood and alchemy, and possibly find a third way forward. Introducing readers to the fantastical world of Curio, this novella is wrapped in mystery, adventure, and intrigue.