The Zero Enigma

The Zero Blessing by Christopher G. Nuttall follows twelve-year-old Caitlyn Aguirre, the only non-magical child in a powerful sorcerous family. Sent with her gifted sisters to Jude’s Sorcerous Academy as a final attempt to awaken her magic, she must navigate demanding classes and social pressures without the basic abilities her classmates take for granted. As Caitlyn searches for any sign of power, she stumbles onto an old secret buried within the academy’s history that may explain her apparent lack of talent. This young adult fantasy blends school-of-magic adventure, a determined female protagonist, and a gradual zero-to-hero arc with hints of deeper, possibly science fiction–tinged mysteries behind the world’s magic.

Caitlyn Aguirre is no magician ... ... But that doesn't make her useless. After discovering her true talent and uncovering the long-lost secret behind Objects of Power, Cat returns to school - intent on showing everyone what she can do. But her mere existence is a threat to the balance of power, convincing some to befriend her, some to try to use her ... and some to remove her. And when she and her closest friends become the target of a deadly plot, she must use all her wits to save them and escape before she becomes the first casualty in a deadly war.

Caitlyn Aguirre is no magician ...

... But she’s still at the centre of the storm.

Caitlyn and her friends have returned to Jude’s Sorcerous Academy, but all is not well in the school. The Great Houses of Shallot are on the verge of going to war and the conflict is spilling into the school, while - in the background - powerful and secretive forces prepare to finally reveal their plans to reshape the world. Caught in the middle, torn between her family and her friends - and burdened with a secret she dares not share - Cat must unlock the secret of the Zero Equation ...

... Or watch helplessly as her family, friends and school are destroyed by war.

Isabella Rubén is a traitor - at twelve years old.

Disgraced, abandoned by her friends and shunned by her family, Isabella is sent into exile with scant hope of returning to her former home. Her destination, Kirkhaven Hall; a stone mansion miles from civilisation, inhabited only by a pair of older exiles. Existence as she knew it is over.

But as she tries to settle into Kirkhaven Hall, and a life far from the one she enjoyed before her fall from grace, she discovers that the hall has secrets. Intruders on the grounds, ghostly shadows moving at night ...

... and a plot that may destroy everything she once held dear.

A Stand-Alone Novel set in The Zero Enigma Universe ...

Five months after the House War, the city of Shallot is on edge. The Great Houses plot and plan against one another, while the magicians rebuild and the common folk fear another outburst of fighting. And one young nobleman has a plan.

Rebecca is a half-caste shopgirl in an apothecary, dreaming of an apprenticeship that will allow her to rise out of poverty and finally make a name for herself in a city that has no use for her kind. But when her master undertakes a commission for an enigmatic young nobleman, she finds herself drawn into a maelstrom of criminals, ambitious nobles and a plan that may shake the foundations of the Great Houses themselves ...

Six years ago, in the aftermath of the House War that nearly tore Shallot apart, Akin Rubén and Caitlyn Aguirre were betrothed in a bid to keep their rival families from returning to war. Now, with both of them on the brink of maturity, that marriage is starting to loom. The moment of choice, when they must decide to go through with the wedding or risk their families resuming their rivalry, is fast approaching.

And yet, all is not well in House Rubén. Akin, the presumed Heir Primus, has many enemies, relatives who will do anything rather than see him succeed his father and link their families to their former rivals. Powerful factions are gathering, ready to oppose the match by any means necessary. Secrets from the past are being dug up and turned into weapons, just waiting to be launched. In desperation, Lord Rubén - Akin’s father - forces his son to enter the Challenge - a contest that will either prove his right to inherit or utterly destroy him.

But the Challenge is not quite what it seems ...

The City of Shallot is on the verge of revolution. The Great Houses are mustering their forces, readying themselves for a shift in the balance of power. The poor have found a new leader and are - finally - demanding their rights. Shadowy figures and old ghosts are prowling the streets. It is only a matter of time before the unease and unrest explodes into violence, as the wealthy and powerful seek to secure themselves in a changing world. And dark forces are laying plans to take advantage of the chaos ...

A newly-graduated student, the son of a proudly independent merchant, Adam Mortimer is recruited into the Kingsmen and charged with helping to track down the anarchists and terrorists before they trigger an explosion. But, as he delves into the mystery, he finds himself caught between the scars of his childhood and his hopes for the future, loyalties tested as he finds himself caught between old friends and new.

And, as infernal devices begin to terrorise the city, Adam must risk everything to save the people he loves ...

House Lamplighter was once amongst the greatest of the Great Houses of Shallot, but now it is a tumbling ruin. The once-great mansion is decaying, the vast network of clients have broken ties long ago and the remaining family scrabbles over crumbs as the last remnants of their fortune are spent repaying their debts. The family seems doomed, beyond all hope of salvation.

Lucy Lamplighter, returning to her home after her father’s death, intends to save her family by any means necessary. Gambling everything she has left, she stakes it all on a desperate bid to rebuild House Lamplighter before the vultures begin to swoop. But she’s playing with fire...

...And those who play with fire often get burnt.

House Rubén and House Aguirre had been rivals for centuries even before the discovery of the Zero Talent and a plot to take control of Shallot plunged them – and the entire city – into war. In a desperate attempt to end the fighting, Akin of House Rubén was betrothed to the only known Zero, Caitlyn of House Aguirre. Since then, the two houses have been locked in an uneasy alliance, painfully aware that they will hang separately if they do not hang together.

But, as the marriage starts to loom over the city, Akin Rubén discovers a deadly secret. His twin sister Isabella, sent into exile for her role in the House War, has discovered Callam, the second known Zero. And Isabella’s desire to carve a position for herself within the family, a role denied to her through no fault of her own, will shake House Rubén to its core.

As shadowy figures step into the light, ready to stake everything on a desperate bid to save or damn the family, Akin and Isabella find themselves in the middle of a deadly storm that may destroy everything they love ...

A thousand years ago, an empire died. No one knew why. Not until now.

Seven years ago, Caitlyn “Cat” Aguirre - the first of the magicless Zeros - was kidnapped and taken to the ruins of the Eternal City. There, she discovered the dread secret behind the collapse of the Thousand-Year Empire, a secret she knew she didn’t dare share with the world. But now, with strange sightings and energies emitting from the ruined city - and a darkening political situation back home - Cat has no choice, but to return to the dead city.

And what she finds there will change everything ...

Kirkhaven Hall has been home to Isabella Rubén ever since she was sent into exile for treason. It has always been a strange place; isolated, wrapped in dark clouds and ancient magics. No one really knows what’s hidden there, from eerie ghosts and warlocks to secrets House Rubén not only has kept from the rest of the world, but has itself forgotten. They thought those secrets would remain buried for eternity.

But now, as Isabella and her fiancé return from their holiday in Shallot, those secrets are starting to slip into the light. Strange lights have been seen on the mire, ghosts have been walking the halls, ancient artefacts have been discovered and the ground itself, tainted by dark magics, is threatening to give up its dead And, as Isabella finds herself caught in an ever-growing nightmare, it becomes clear that the disaster is not limited to Kirkhaven …

… And the magic crisis has only just begun.

For centuries, the Great Houses of Shallot have ruled the city through a complex network of power and influence, dividing and destroying factions that posed a threat to their rule, but the latest crisis may be beyond their power to subvert and defeat. The commoners have finally found a leader, while the aristocrats are deeply divided amongst themselves; their magic no longer trustworthy, their right to rule threatened as never before. As protest marches explode onto the streets, and the guild leaderships are openly challenged, it seems only a matter of time before the entire city catches fire.

In the mansions of North Shallot, Akin Rubén – new to his position as family patriarch – finds himself battling extremists who want to crush the protestors by any means necessary and hampered by his ties to the rebel leader; in the streets of South Shallot and the slums of Water Shallot, Rebecca Travis finds herself dragged into the revolutionary movement and experimenting with potions and spells that will either tip the balance against the aristos once and for all, or lead to all-out war on the streets that will burn the city to the ground …

… And, hidden in the shadows, the real threat is slowly inching into the light.