An invitation beyond the familiar
Explore the World of the New Arcana
Magic is real. Fairies can be pricks. And the rules are changing.
An illustrated companion to Rise of the New Arcana
Meet the characters, explore hidden places, and step into a world just beyond the familiar. This companion draws on the first two published novels and keeps Book Three’s mysteries safely out of view.
Choose your level of discovery. The illustrated entries below are designed to be spoiler-light. Open either panel only after you have finished that book. Neither panel includes unpublished Book Three material.
Book One discoveries — after Another Fairy Bastard
Dalton learns that his magical abilities demand both training and restraint. His time in Kinewah brings him under the care of teachers who understand just how dangerous an untrained talent can be.
Katie is Katayina, the daughter of Eloa and Jeva; Umi belongs to a family whose responsibilities include defending Kyoto from supernatural threats.
By the end of the novel, the danger facing the Nitaku family has become deeply personal: Kitzu is taken by a mysterious assailant.
Book Two discoveries — after Witches, Knaves and Fairy Graves
In Indianapolis, Sophie Collier is a Keeper of the Librus Arcanus and an extraordinarily gifted Sensitive. Dalton hopes her abilities can help him find Kitzu.
Arkiya Talisca Temiscil is bound to House Temil by a duty that puts him on a collision course with Dalton. Faerie’s laws can make an honorable person a terrible enemy.
The supernatural trail passes through familiar downtown landmarks, including the Scottish Rite Cathedral and the brick catacombs beneath Market Square.
Legends of the New Arcana
Nineteen remarkable figures at the heart of the New Arcana. Discover the complete cast in the Character Archive below.
Dalton Graham
Dalton Graham would prefer coffee, a little peace, and a world in which Fairies do not want his head. The world, regrettably, disagrees.
Umiwyn “Umi” Nitaku
Quiet in class, lethal when it matters, Umi Nitaku can go from reserved to terrifying faster than Dalton can form a wisecrack. She is not in the habit of explaining herself to enemies.
Katie (Katayina)
Katie is clever, quick with a pair of blades, and thoroughly unimpressed by anyone who mistakes her youth for weakness. Judging her by appearances is a poor survival strategy.
Laughing Bear
A leader and teacher in Kinewah, Laughing Bear has the patience to explain a hard truth and the authority to make it stick. His name sounds friendly. That is not a guarantee.
Eloa
If magical power were only about enthusiasm, Dalton would be a disaster waiting for an audience. Eloa teaches him the discipline behind it, including the uncomfortable difference between what he can do and what he should.
Kitzu Nitaku
Umi’s younger sister may be the youngest Nitaku in the room, but that is a dangerous reason to underestimate her. Martial training is a family tradition; courage, apparently, runs in the family too.
Durnawyn
Learning magic and using it wisely are separate subjects. Durnawyn teaches the second one, with the sort of uncompromising conviction that makes a student reconsider every shortcut.
Hiroshi Nitaku
Guardian of Kyoto, astonishing martial artist, and father of Umi and Kitzu, Hiroshi holds himself to uncompromising standards of duty and honor. Making a good first impression on him may be harder than surviving a sparring session with his daughters.
Maiko Nitaku
The Nitaku household has warmth as well as extraordinary strength, and Maiko is central to both. She can welcome a weary guest while making it clear that protecting her family is no small responsibility.
Benjamin “Ben”
Benjamin—Ben to his friends—is a talented archer from Kinewah, ready to join a dangerous patrol when his people need him. It is unwise to mistake a young face for an inexperienced fighter.
Parape (Pe)
Parape, usually called Pe, has an axe, quick feet, and a talent for surprising Dalton in a sparring match. He is a useful reminder that the quiet young fighter may be the one you most need to watch.
Rika
Rika would rather patrol beyond Kinewah than spend another evening in the village. A fierce spear fighter with little interest in making a comforting first impression, she seems perfectly content with that arrangement.
Esmerelda
Esmerelda is quick with a grin, quicker with a sharp remark, and perfectly capable of keeping Dalton off balance without casting a spell. Confusing her humor with harmlessness would be a costly mistake.
Cameron Thau
Cameron Thau comes to Indianapolis trying to escape the people pursuing him, not to play detective. Helping Sophie with the trouble unfolding in the city makes keeping his head down increasingly difficult.
Arkiya
Arkiya Talisca Temiscil is a warrior of Faerie whose loyalty to his House is neither costume nor convenience. He knows what duty demands. Whether duty and justice always agree is another matter entirely.
Jeva
Katie’s father, Jeva, is as comfortable leading a patrol as he is judging whether a newcomer can be trusted with Kinewah’s safety. He has little patience for bravado when other people may have to pay for it.
Sophie Collier
Sophie Collier has an unusual talent for perceiving things other people miss. If Dalton thinks a library ought to be a quiet, predictable place, meeting Sophie may cure him of that assumption.
Feliza Cantal
The Witch of Ocotillo knows how to feed a guest and how to make him wonder whether he should have accepted the invitation. Feliza Cantal offers sanctuary on her own terms, and she is nobody’s easy target.
Eduardo Cantal
Eduardo Cantal’s manners are impeccable. His devotion to his sister, the Witch of Ocotillo, is considerably less negotiable. He can offer a warm welcome without forgetting that trouble has a habit of following guests indoors.
Places & Realms
The world Dalton discovers is larger, stranger, and considerably less safe than the one he thought he knew. These locations are introduced in Another Fairy Bastard and Witches, Knaves and Fairy Graves.
Kinewah
Kinewah is more than a refuge near Reno. Beyond a carefully guarded crossing lies the home of the people Dalton comes to know as the Lost Tribe—a community with its own leaders, teachers, dangers, and remarkably effective ways of humbling an outsider.
The Librus Arcanus
In Indianapolis, a library exists for questions no public catalogue could possibly answer. Its custodians know the difference between curiosity and wisdom, and some of the answers are considerably more dangerous than the questions.
Indianapolis
Indianapolis has another life hidden beneath its familiar streets. The Scottish Rite Cathedral and City Market appear along Dalton’s path through a city where magic takes an unwelcome interest in ordinary people.
Ocotillo
In the Southern California desert, Feliza Cantal—the Witch of Ocotillo—and her fiercely protective brother Eduardo offer shelter that comes with its own uncertainties. Even a safe house can leave a visitor wondering what the fine print says.
Kyoto
Kyoto has a Guardian, not merely a history. Hiroshi and Maiko Nitaku help defend the city against supernatural threats that cross between worlds, and family duty can demand more than even formidable fighters expect.
Faerie
Behind the word “Fairy” lies a realm of noble Houses, grudges older than mortal nations, and rules no sensible newcomer would accept without reading the fine print. Faerie can be beautiful. That is not the same as safe.
Rifts Between Worlds
The borders between worlds are less permanent than they appear. Some crossings are watched and defended; others are a very bad surprise for whoever happens to be standing nearby when something steps through.
Magic, Oaths & Other Complications
Magic in the New Arcana is not one tidy system. People perceive it, wield it, inherit it, train it, and occasionally discover they should have been more careful with it.
Fae, Fairies & Faerie
Fae or Fairies are the people; Faerie is their realm. They are not simply human beings with pointed ears, nor are they best described as elves. Their Houses, customs, and obligations shape much of Dalton’s trouble.
Sensitive
Someone especially attuned to energies, impressions, and possibilities around them. Perception and magical power are related, but they are not the same talent.
Mage & Practitioner
Names such as mage, witch, sorcerer, and practitioner describe people who work with magical forces. Their methods and abilities vary enormously; no single title explains everything someone can do.
Physical Adept
A practitioner whose abilities are expressed through the body, movement, discipline, and combat. Not all magic involves spoken spells or spectacular displays.
Amplifier
A rare talent for strengthening magic beyond its ordinary limits. Hard to recognize, harder to use safely, and quite capable of making seasoned practitioners uneasy.
Guardian
A protector entrusted with defending a place or people from supernatural dangers. The Nitaku family’s responsibilities in Kyoto show that such a duty is much more than an honorary title.
Geas
A binding magical obligation that can turn a promise into an inescapable command. In Faerie, the distinction between duty and choice can become painfully thin.
The Veil
A boundary separating the familiar world from other realms. Its existence helps explain why magical communities can remain hidden—and why the appearance of a rift can be so dangerous.
Peoples Beyond the Familiar
Humanity is not the only people to leave footprints—or claws—across these worlds. The first two novels introduce several others.
The Tulwa
A hostile people from beyond the familiar world. Their ambitions make them dangerous to anyone who assumes the borders between realms will keep trouble out.
The Ka’ila
Dangerous creatures subordinate to the Tulwa. Their poisonous tails, unnatural resilience, and mesmerizing gaze make them particularly unpleasant enemies.
The Q’aila
Fae associated with the Kingdom of the Five Waters—the Great Lakes. In Book Two, Iriloma introduces Dalton to a history much wider than the one he learned in school.
The Tul Udir / Gray People
Survivors of a devastated world. Vahnyuan is one of their extraordinary wanderers, answering to a code and a mission that do not fit neatly within mortal law.
The Bakla
An ancient, rarely encountered magical people of the Philippine islands, introduced in Book Two. Their history and gifts are distinct from the ordinary modern uses of the same word.
The Alfbern
One of the bear-like peoples encountered in Book Two. Their deeper origins remain uncertain, and not every mystery needs an immediate explanation.
The Houses of Faerie
In Faerie, a family name can carry more weight than a sword—and sometimes more danger. These are Houses whose names or connections readers encounter by the end of Book Two, not an exhaustive list of every power in Faerie.
House Temil
An influential House of Faerie with a reputation for power, long memories, and exacting notions of duty. Arkiya Talisca Temiscil is among its formidable warriors.
House Alumen
An old and respected Fae House ruled by Lady Arabella. Its relations with mortals are more compassionate than those of many of its peers, but Faerie’s politics seldom reward simple kindness.
House Voryal
Once more powerful, House Voryal hopes to regain its former influence among Faerie’s great families. Alliances can be as important as swords in that pursuit.
House Harawah
An ancient House whose name is tied to old grudges and unanswered questions. Readers encounter only part of its history in the published novels.
More Faces. More Mysteries.
These nineteen illustrated figures are only a beginning. The complete Meet the Characters gallery contains forty-seven ornate, interactive character cards with portraits and biographies. Some of the most memorable people in the series are not always the ones you ought to trust.
Explore all 47 character cards
A note to explorers: this guide draws on the first two published novels and may introduce people, places, or abilities you have not yet encountered. It does not reveal the adventures awaiting in Book Three. Some of the best answers belong in the stories themselves.
Begin the Adventure
Start with Another Fairy Bastard, then continue with Witches, Knaves and Fairy Graves. Magic is real. Fairies can be pricks. And Dalton Graham has barely begun to discover what that means.