The Witching Trail

Five Crowns of Okrith #3.5

by A.K. Mulford

In a land torn apart by war, Raffiel Dammacus stands as the last hope of his fallen kingdom. The only surviving royal of the High Mountains, Raffiel is all that stands between the ruthless Northern King and the fabled Immortal Blade.

For years, Raffiel has been leading his people to safety, guiding them through the enemy-filled terrain with nothing but a trail of crimson ribbons. But when a routine mission goes awry, Raffiel finds himself facing new monsters and unexpected allies. As he battles to protect his people and secure the legendary Immortal Blade, Raffiel must confront the ghosts of his past and step into his power as a future king.

This novella is a bite-sized, Easter egg-filled glimpse at Raffiel’s life before the events of The High Mountain Court. If you love action, adventure, and sweet Achillean romance, you'll love this story!

Read The Witching Trail today!

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy, Fiction, Fantasy Romance, Fae

60 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 10, 2024

About the author

A. K. Mulford is a bestselling fantasy author and former wildlife biologist who swapped rehabilitating monkeys for writing novels. They/she is inspired to create diverse stories that transport readers to new realms, making them fall in love with fantasy for the first time or all over again. They now live in Australia with their husband and two young human primates, creating lovable fantasy characters and making ridiculous TikToks (@akmulfordauthor).


Get the Okrith Novellas FREE at www.akmulford.com

Reviews

[tappkalina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny how I've been praying for the existence of this exact novella for ever, but now it's here and I'm terrified of reading it, because I'm not ready to break my own heart again.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! I didn't want to it end! So many bits that tie all the other Five Crowns of Okrith and their Novellas together.

You can get this story for FREE by signing up to AK Mulfords newsletter.

Another highly recommended!

[Rebecca Dee Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love this world and love these Novellas to give us some insight into our favourites from the Okrith series before the events of the main books

In this story, we meet up with Raffiel, the sole surviving High Mountain Royal, as he travels back to his village

However things are never as they seem and a routine mission is thrown off track, and paths will cross with friends and foes.

Quick wee read but amazing nonetheless. AK had created something amazing with this world and I cannot wait to see what the last book brings... got one more novella to read for now in advance of that...

[Briann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not a huge fan of how Fated is described in this book. Bern and Raffiel should trust one another more (when they’re arguing about whether or not Bern should go back home, etc). Also, the author describes Fated relationships as being superior and better than all other relationships. I don’t think that should be true. I think familial relationships should be just as strong as Fated relationships.

I enjoyed Renwick’s cameo more than anything else in this book.

[Beth Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novella explored Raffiel’s backstory, his efforts to gather and protect the High Mountain people, and his sweet reconnection with Bern. Raffiel’s path crossed with some other important characters, tying in storylines from other books. An enjoyable primer before jumping into the next full-length book in series!

[HeadCanonHeadCase · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fun to get a look at Raffiel and learn a little more about Red witch lore.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would read a whole prequel on Raffiel. We only got to see him for literally 2 mins in the series and I want more lol

[Cheyenne · Rating 4 out of 5]

CW: violence, death

Fated mates and another brown witch sibling...It was good though :)

[Merb · Rating 3 out of 5]

~ 3.5 stars ~

[Romantasy Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice quick look into Raffiel’s life before the main story, but I felt like this novella was a bit too short, and left me wanting more information.

[Danielle Vandehaar · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was so wonderful to see Bern and Raffiel’s love.

[J White · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful glimpse into Raffiel's story.

[Jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a quick and cosy novella that ties into the series really well.

[Psyckers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great novella that gives us insights to The last surviving fae royal of the High Mountains. Set before the High Mountain Court novel, this story has twists and turns as windy and treacherous as the trek the characters need to make.
The author makes great use of character development and world building, condensed into a novella that is hard to put down. Such a page turner this is, at the end you are finding yourself wanting more.
A fantastic read all round, though I believe the end felt a bit rushed.

[Jodie Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️ Spoilers ahead… because I just want to talk about the his novella!

This novella is bitter sweet, I was already saddened by the death of Raffiel in The High Mountain Court that following him at the time when he is reunited with Bern is heart breaking.

Then the interaction with Renwick… that was EVERYTHING! Another little glimpse into the kind hearted, strong King of the North.

[Jessica Rush · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved ready the back story of Raffiel. This novella was very informative, and we got to meet his mate Bern. 😍

A great novella in the world of the Five Crowns of Okrith.

Get the Okrith Novellas FREE at www.akmulford.com by signing up to her newsletters.

[Ash Sawatzky · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect companion novella to read if you've read The Five Crowns of Okrith.
I want more of Raffiel and Bern and what they do leading up to the events of The High Mountain Court.
But also, my heart aches knowing the ending of their story. It hurts so so much.

[Cassie cover2covertx · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never get tired of these novellas! They’re the perfect quick read in between the wait for another FiveCO novel & I read through them so quickly! :) I was really excited to see more especially from these two characters- Raffiel and Bern. ❤️ Definitely a must read for fans of the series!

[Yinks Undomiel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great instalment. Super quick read that gives us a bit more background into Okrith before the events of The High Mountain Court. I love the world AK Mulford has created so much and I can’t wait for the next book.

[Katheryn Haskell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great! I always love side novellas, Milford does great with them to add just a tiny bit more story to chew on. I've also always loved Bern, so this was great. Highly recommend reading these if you read the Okirth novels.

[brii | brii (four months behind...) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice glimpse into Raffiel.

I appreciated this Novella as we didn't really get to see too much of him. I really wish there was more of it, as I really liked him as a character.

I truly believe the novellas are the best thing to come out of this book series.

[KDLediting · Rating 5 out of 5]

A back story with spoilers to The High Mountain Court. Read of Raffiel and Bern's reunification amid a dangerous trek

[Sarah Ferguson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome snippet of Raffiel. I saw him in a different light than I imagined him in The High Mountain Court!

[Samantha Marnon · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars because I wanted mooorrrreee. Can’t wait for The Evergreen Heir.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gimme all the novellas pretty please. Even though this one broke my heart.

[Nyntje347 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this novella with the little winks to what is still to happen chronologically and the scent-based magic.

[Lotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ✨️

[Dawn Kalina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book explained the link between Raffiel and Bern and Raffiel and Rua. Loved it!

[Jess Nasta · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️ I just wish there was more story of Raffiel and Bern, I’ve been waiting for this book since the high mountain court and I just wanted so much more from it.

[Rach · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just wish it was a little longer so you got more of their story. But I loved that Renwick was in this one too.