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The Commune's Curse
The King's Decree
King Cosmo Septimus of ruler, leader…
Fool.
In truth, the kingdom has been under the authority of the Commune for some years—a ruthless government whose leader, the Grand Magister, holds the king under his control.
Enter a world where the powers gifted to mortals by an ancient god present themselves in unsuspecting members of the kingdom, and where the Grand Magister will do everything to ensure they are brought under his sway or executed as traitors.
In this short story, you will begin to understand just why King Cosmo is unable to fight against the ruthless guidance of a selfish, power-hungry man.
And why it may be hopeless for him to even try.
The King’s Decree is part of the world of The Commune’s Curse series, and is set three years before the first book in the series, Awakening, which is available now. Book 2 is due for release in late 2024, so now’s a great time to delve into this dark fantasy series!
Praise for The Commune’s Curse Book 1:
"Tight and fascinating world-building that will delight fantasy fans, coupled with clear-eyed portraits of trauma in its characters that raise it above the usual standard." - Daniel M. Ford, best-selling author of The Paladin and The Warden fantasy series
"I was struck by McLaren's exquisite prose [and] the fast pace of her story...[ The Commune's Curse Book 1] completely captivated me from the move this book to the top of your TBR pile, it's an absolute stunner!" —Cindy van Wilder, author of The Trespassers series
Fool.
In truth, the kingdom has been under the authority of the Commune for some years—a ruthless government whose leader, the Grand Magister, holds the king under his control.
Enter a world where the powers gifted to mortals by an ancient god present themselves in unsuspecting members of the kingdom, and where the Grand Magister will do everything to ensure they are brought under his sway or executed as traitors.
In this short story, you will begin to understand just why King Cosmo is unable to fight against the ruthless guidance of a selfish, power-hungry man.
And why it may be hopeless for him to even try.
The King’s Decree is part of the world of The Commune’s Curse series, and is set three years before the first book in the series, Awakening, which is available now. Book 2 is due for release in late 2024, so now’s a great time to delve into this dark fantasy series!
Praise for The Commune’s Curse Book 1:
"Tight and fascinating world-building that will delight fantasy fans, coupled with clear-eyed portraits of trauma in its characters that raise it above the usual standard." - Daniel M. Ford, best-selling author of The Paladin and The Warden fantasy series
"I was struck by McLaren's exquisite prose [and] the fast pace of her story...[ The Commune's Curse Book 1] completely captivated me from the move this book to the top of your TBR pile, it's an absolute stunner!" —Cindy van Wilder, author of The Trespassers series
- GenresFantasy
23 pages, ebook
Published April 29, 2024
5 people are currently reading
84 people want to read
About the author
Lucy A. McLaren
5 books55 followersAs a writer, Lucy spends her time capturing on paper the imaginary kingdoms, far-off places and characters who live there (and their pets, of course) that her brain throws at her at completely random times of day.
She’s been a fan of fantasy stories since she was a child, but especially loves to explore her characters through the real-world lens of mental health— what have they been through, what are they feeling and why are they how they are? She uses a mix of counselling theory and D&D backstories when creating her characters. Add a pinch of magic, ruthless cults, authoritarian, patriarchal leaders or murderous lunatics, and perhaps a talking animal or two, and you’ll have an idea of what her stories involve.
Her favourite books and series include His Dark Materials, The Priory of the Orange Tree, Liveship Traders, and The Age of Madness. She’s an avid video game player and loves epic roleplaying games, including God of War, Horizon series, The Witcher 3, and Legend of Zelda series. She also enjoys smaller, character-focused games like Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture or What Remains of Edith Finch.
When not writing, you can find her spending time with her husband and young son, attempting to find time to watch the latest superhero or fantasy film or TV series, or taking way too many photos in her local parks and woods.
She’s been a fan of fantasy stories since she was a child, but especially loves to explore her characters through the real-world lens of mental health— what have they been through, what are they feeling and why are they how they are? She uses a mix of counselling theory and D&D backstories when creating her characters. Add a pinch of magic, ruthless cults, authoritarian, patriarchal leaders or murderous lunatics, and perhaps a talking animal or two, and you’ll have an idea of what her stories involve.
Her favourite books and series include His Dark Materials, The Priory of the Orange Tree, Liveship Traders, and The Age of Madness. She’s an avid video game player and loves epic roleplaying games, including God of War, Horizon series, The Witcher 3, and Legend of Zelda series. She also enjoys smaller, character-focused games like Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture or What Remains of Edith Finch.
When not writing, you can find her spending time with her husband and young son, attempting to find time to watch the latest superhero or fantasy film or TV series, or taking way too many photos in her local parks and woods.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 29, 2024
The perfect length to read in my lunch break.
It's a while since I read Awakening but this was easy to follow and tied in nicely.
An enjoyable read.
It's a while since I read Awakening but this was easy to follow and tied in nicely.
An enjoyable read.
May 17, 2024
Love this background story!
I love getting a little bit of background story that really gives more insight into the world Lucy has built! I hope we get to see more of King Cosmo in the future!
I love getting a little bit of background story that really gives more insight into the world Lucy has built! I hope we get to see more of King Cosmo in the future!
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October 14, 2024This short story enabled me to explore a POV who isn’t seen in the main books of The Commune’s Curse series—King Cosmo Septimus. Through him, we meet the Grand Magister (leader of the Commune) and begin to understand the manipulative nature of their relationship, and to see the influence he holds over the kingdom of Septima. I hope readers will enjoy this extra insight into the backstory for the main series. I have a soft spot for Cosmo, and not just because he’s named after a family dog… Rest assured, this is not the last we’ll see of him.
February 7, 2025
I have both novels of this series on my TBR, I just haven't gotten to them yet! So reading this short story actually renewed my interest in them. It's a great sampler of Lucy's writing style and the overall feel of the series.
Not much happens in this story, in case you're expecting something major -- BUT I'm pretty sure the events lead to important developments in the series proper. There's political machinations and whatnot, which is just my cup of tea. Anyway, looking forward to fully diving into this series!
Not much happens in this story, in case you're expecting something major -- BUT I'm pretty sure the events lead to important developments in the series proper. There's political machinations and whatnot, which is just my cup of tea. Anyway, looking forward to fully diving into this series!
September 23, 2024
More authors should consider adding short 'side pieces' to their books, this was the perfect length for additional context and DRAMA to the first book and a gorgeous amuse bouche for the upcoming second book. A tantalising and revealing mid-course between the starter and main event. Delicious!
September 30, 2024
This short story added a lot of interesting context for the main series. I look forward to reading more from McLaren!
May 31, 2024
short but full of so much drama!
Okay, this story is everything the author promised and more! It was tense, exciting, dramatic, and such excellent background to Book 1. I need to know MORE! The 23 pages felt too short!
Okay, this story is everything the author promised and more! It was tense, exciting, dramatic, and such excellent background to Book 1. I need to know MORE! The 23 pages felt too short!
August 29, 2024
A quick peek behind the veil of the relationship between King Cosmo and the Grand Magistar. It's only 23 pages long and easily could have been longer, but don't judge until reading the first book as it makes more sense together. Looking forward to the release of the second book.
July 4, 2025
Rating: 2 ⭐️
Genre: Fantasy
Format: Ebook
Pages: 23
Spice: 0 🌶️
POV: Third POV
S/S: The Commune's Curse
Check trigger warnings for any book.
Well, this novella was free on amazon, and tbh not sure what I read. I feel like i jumped in the middle of a story. Not really a good introduction into the series, I am unsure if this is the goal of this story in fairness.
Leena - Leena.reader review - @leena.reader on tiktok / instagram / fable / storygraph
Genre: Fantasy
Format: Ebook
Pages: 23
Spice: 0 🌶️
POV: Third POV
S/S: The Commune's Curse
Check trigger warnings for any book.
Well, this novella was free on amazon, and tbh not sure what I read. I feel like i jumped in the middle of a story. Not really a good introduction into the series, I am unsure if this is the goal of this story in fairness.
Leena - Leena.reader review - @leena.reader on tiktok / instagram / fable / storygraph
October 9, 2025
I think this is perhaps supposed to be read after the other two books, but it was described as happening three years before the first book. All things considered, it has made me curious about the next two books.
June 23, 2024
I'm so confused. Obviously it's a novella and it's more expanded upon in the first actual book but like... I feel like there is nothing keeping me interested in picking up the first ACTUAL book.
July 12, 2024
I have not yet read The Commune's Curse books. However, I got this though a stuff your kindle event and thoroughly enjoyed it. I will definitely be picking up the other books in the series.
July 14, 2024
Unfortunately rather boring. Perhaps it’s more intriguing if you’ve read more of the series. It’s only 23 pages long, so it’s not enough time for much to happen.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews