The Madness Project

*The Madness Project* is the first book in the Madness Method series.

## Plot Synopsis

Cavnal has been at peace for nearly a century. Magic, once revered, is now the object of contempt. And anyone unfortunate enough to be born with its powers has been banned from the nobility and pushed to the fringes of society.

All his life, Prince Tarik has known that if the world discovered his secret—that he was born a mage—he would lose everything. But when a wave of violence in the city points back to an underground society of mages, everything changes. Only Tarik has the power to infiltrate their ranks. Only he can learn the truth about a plot that could destroy everything he loves.

But nothing can prepare him for the life of lies he will have to live to win a place in that society. Or for Hayli, a shape-shifter mage who is unlike any girl he has ever met. She might be the one to destroy all his plans…or she may be the only one who can save him from himself.

Together they face a dangerous web of sedition, crime and violent ambition, where nothing is as simple as either of them believed. And what they discover will challenge everything they thought they knew about loyalty and betrayal, love and honor.

## Main Characters

* **Tarik** — the 17-year-old Crown Prince of Cavnal, considered by many to be a rogue, but well-loved by his people. His reputation is much worse than anything he has ever actually done. He has hidden his magical abilities since he was five years old.
* **Hayli** — a 16-year-old street rate and a mage who came from a noble family. She is a Moth, or shapeshifter, whose animal nature is a crow.
* **Kalen** **Zagger** — Tarik's bodyguard and mentor, and one of his closest friends. Zagger is in his mid-thirties, fiercely devoted to Tarik, and reluctant to see him take up his mission of infiltrating the Brinmark underground.
* **Derrin** — the oldest of the street rats who live in the Hole, 21-year-old Derrin is extremely protective of the other kids. He is something of an enigma, and driven by a code of justice that many people don't understand.
* **Coins** — an 18-year-old Hole rat who is a master of thievery and free running. He is free-spirited, cheerful, dramatic, and has a penchant for making up his own sayings.
* **Dreyden** **Kor** — a member of the Intelligence Committee, Kor is tasked with preparing Tarik for his undercover assignment. Bold, loud, and not known for being exceptionally polite, Kor is a hard man to get to know, but a harder man to disappoint.

## Side Characters

* **Anuk** — one of the toughest kids in the Hole, 19-year-old Anuk is a talented fighter but, unlike Jig, is also fair and even-keeled. He isn't known for being particularly talkative and isn't as gregarious as Coins, but he is extremely loyal to his close friends.
* **Jig** — one of the most skilled street fighters in Brinmark, 19-year-old Jig is fierce, a bit solitary, arrogant, and yet easily drawn to powerful people. He doesn't like outsiders and, more than anything, doesn't like losing.
* **Bugs** — an 11-year-old street rat. He is extremely eager to please, with a cheerful, generous heart and strong loyalties.
* **Griff** **Farro** — 16-year-old Griff Farro is the son of the Minister of Defense and Tarik's oldest friend. A skilled aviator, Griff is fascinated by magic and probably too tolerant of it to be socially acceptable.
* **Pika** — one of the younger kids in the Hole, 11-year-old Pika is fiery, stubborn, and loyal to Hayli, and has an uncanny ability to understand people beyond what her years would suggest.
* **Samyr** **Von** — 16-year-old Samyr Von is daughter of the Minister of the Interior and, along with Griff, one of Tarik's oldest friends. She is sensitive and thoughtful, and always torn between her strict moral sense and Tarik's roguish influence.
* **Kantian** — Kantian is the Hole Boss who makes sure that the kids have jobs, food, and places to sleep. Unyielding, incisive, and calculating, Kantian has his own agenda, and will suffer no obstacles to its fulfillment.
* **Rivano** — the mysterious master of the underground society of mages, Rivano is a charismatic leader who inspires those who follow him by his dedication to the needs of the poor and the forgotten mages of Brinmark.
* **Elanar** — Queen of Cavnal and Tarik's mother, Elanar is a woman of distinction, class, and high ambitions.
* **Trabin** **Geynis** — King of Cavnal, a fierce and proud man who is known for his circumspect and calculating mind. Trabin tries to be a fair king but the political climate in Cavnal and abroad have put immense pressure on his reign.
* **Destri** **Alokin** — one of the most brilliant minds employed by the Science Ministry, Destri Alokin is both reclusive and genteel, with the suave manners of his Meritian heritage.
* **Kippler** — one of the most prominent psychologists in Cavnal, Kippler is fascinated by the human mind. He is intensely anti-magic, and has a keen interest in studying mages to learn what gives them their power.

## Important Places

* **Brigun Palace** — the center of the Cavnish monarchy, the traditional home of the royal family, and the place where the Court of Ministries meets.
* **Brinmark** — the capital city of Cavnal, situated in a hilly region in the middle-western region of the country. The south streets are notorious for their slums, decay, and concentration of mages.
* **Esobor** — an old Ministry building that was later converted into a scientific research center.
* **Ridgemark** — the most prominent port city in Cavnal, located on the southwestern coastline. While Greydowns is better known for its fishing industry and merchant marine, Ridgemark features a large naval base and the most used port-of-call for passengers traveling abroad.
* **Troyce and Fallon** — an old factory that burned down about twenty years ago. The vast underground level is divided between the Hole, where the street rats live under Kantian's authority, and the Clan's headquarters under Rivano's watch.