Born of Malice
“The way Xan builds their stories is like no other writer I’ve ever known. Opening each page is like stepping into another world entirely, and I can’t wait for readers to get lost in Born of Malice.” – Lindsay Leggett, The Rights Factory.
Van Rooyen’s work has been praised by many in the field, and Ruadán founder and CEO, R. B. Wood had this to say about the deal:
“Xan is a delightful, intelligent, and passionate writer. We were delighted to include their story, “Helsinki,” in our first anthology, “Winter in the City.” We knew we wanted to work more with this amazing wordsmith, and our readers will be enthralled with the stories they will share in 2026”
Savat is an ancient city steeped in old magic. But the once god-fearing Savati people find themselves in the tightening fist of the Sodality, a tyrannical power determined to replace magic with technology, and eradicate all devotion to the old gods.
Yet gods still move among them.
Zal, Chaos incarnate, unjustly exiled to the mortal realm, lives for revenge against his family. In secluded ruins accompanied by his devoted, magic-wielding arkani, he is poised to seize the life stolen from him and claim the Underworld for his own.
Riksa, War shackled, is the tormented captive of her brother Zal in his obsessive quest to open a way between the realms. With her treacherous tongue and machinations, she is committed to Zal's final destruction.
Leksi, Nightmare disincarnate, has always resented her metaphysical family destined to cause human suffering. Striving to live free from magic and never see her family again, her dream of a simple life in the mortal realm is put on hold by the bloodied and broken arrival of her sibling, leaking reality-breaking essence into the world.
In Savat’s university, the scholar Niki prepares an experiment dangerous to Sodality-imposed rule. Though unskilled in the talents of the magic-wielding arkani, the fruit of Niki's groundbreaking research would harness magic through music, sound, and vibration itself, giving anyone the ability to access the arcane.
When worlds are ripe for annihilation, all it takes is one god-sized sibling rivalry to light a conflagration.
CW: death, violence, implied child abuse, implied rape, blood, gore, violence
