Countering the Hands of Crime

Containing low level monsters for Monster Containment ought to be easy enough. But Rarkin's doing it with the handicap of having to let down walls he’s had up for self preservation for seventeen years. His lone wolf ways are dangerous now he's joined a Syther Team. He must learn to trust his team to guard his back.

That would be hard enough with people he's been studying with for two years. But he's got a new classmate, and she's joining his team. Ilara is surprisingly capable for a ‘new student,’ particularly with magic wielding. Rarkin suspects Ilara has secrets of her own. But he’s barely begun to gauge her true capacity when their team begins working under extraordinary conditions.

Not only is crime boss Mavon still at large, he’s as clever and capable as Rarkin suspects, and less than half as rational. Worse, a second crime boss is going rogue. In countering the two of them, Sythe’s resources are stretched thin. Rarkin finds his team on missions they’re barely experienced enough to handle, at the edge of their monster containing and fledgling magical capabilities. The survival of his team is about to depend on the trust Rarkin is struggling to develop.

Note: this is a pre-order.

Intended release date of April 16, 2026 (or by the end of May 2026.)

If you preorder it, you will be emailed the epub file on its release day.