Blurb:Welcome to Caldon, a land of mages and magic, where the noblesse possess massive political and magical power and destroy anyone who threatens the noblesse way of life—especially the commoners.Rill Larkin, the son of a commoner blacksmith, has high ambitions. To be a mage, join the exalted ranks of the ruling noblesse, and establish his own noblesse family. Defying both the system and his family, Rill becomes the apprentice of Deuth Estati, a powerful archmage. But appearances deceive. As training progresses, Rill learns of decades-long secrets and manipulations that threaten his dream. And Deuth might not be as benevolent as Rill thought.Alyse Dejune despises magic, even if she does belong to one of the oldest and most powerful noblesse families in Caldon. The deceits and treacheries of noblesse life and the loveless marriage alliances among the noblesse families disgust her. Her family however has high expectations: that she fulfill her role as a noblesse girl by marrying Troy Estati, an arrogant, selfish noblesse boy she does not love. And Alyse harbors a secret—the potential to become one of the most powerful mages in generations and wield forbidden magic—that, if revealed, could mean her death.In this deadly game of ever-shifting alliances, where the state wages perpetual war against an ancient enemy, Rill and Alyse are thrown together in a land where magic is failing. And as greedy noblesse families raid surrounding family compounds for powerful charms, Rill and Alyse are left standing at a terrible crossroads.
Chapter 1
Cougar’s Lair
“This place is a
real treasure trove,” Rill said as he and Jedd maneuvered the sarcophagus cover
onto the ground. “If a charm seeker did open this tomb, why did she take the
charm from that one Old Mage but not his staff? And why did she leave all the
other charms and staffs behind? I wonder—”
“How fortunate for
me she did,” a voice said behind them. “And how unfortunate for you.”
Rill and Jedd
whirled around.
Just inside the
entrance stood a skinny, middle-aged man of medium height. His gray tunic and tan
pants were dirty and patched and his boots old and scuffed. Oily, unkempt hair
framed his pockmarked face. In his right hand, he held a staff. The light from
Rill's and Jedd’s torches danced shadows across his face, making his malevolent
grin appear even more evil.
A blacksmith’s vise
clamped Rill’s chest making it hard for him to breathe. A rohan! A backwatcher
or protector—either a mage or a bladeswoman or bladesman—who had been expelled
by a noblesse matriarch for breaking her oath to serve and protect the
matriarch’s family. An outcast from society no other noblesse First or Lesser
Family would touch. A woman or man who was lower even than the criminals,
dagger women, and prostitutes living in Caldon’s most dangerous neighborhood,
The Slums.
Rill’s gaze
fastened on the rohan’s left hand that clutched something beneath his grimy
tunic.
A charm.
“Actus,” the rohan
mage said, his sinister smile showing he’d deliberately spoken the word loud
enough for Rill and Jedd to hear.
Rill eyed the
staff, his stomach paining him. The rohan had activated his charm. All he had
to do now was point the staff at a target and cast a spell. Rill’s gaze slid to
Jedd, who appeared as rigid as a marble statue.
With exaggerated
slowness, the rohan aimed the staff at the gap between Rill and Jedd, then
deliberately moved it from one to the other. His lips drew up into a cruel
smile, making Rill feel like a mouse being toyed with by a cat.
Rill choked on a
lump of regret. Why didn’t I listen to Jedd and leave the coffins alone? We
could of been partway home by now. I could of been a mage. But now I
never will be.
Slowly and
deliberately, the rohan inhaled a mouthful of air and said, “Luco!”
Rill’s frightened
breath blended with Jedd’s when the crystal burst into life, and white mage
light flooded the tomb.
The rohan laughed
as if he’d just watched a first-rate comedy routine as he stepped several paces
forward. “Scared of a little light, boys?”
Rill’s gaze jumped
to Jedd. His cousin was glowering at the man, his hands balled into fists.
The rohan smirked
at Jedd.
Slowly, keeping his
eyes on the rohan, Rill moved his hand toward his sword’s brown leather grip.
The rohan must have
had invisible eyes in the side of his head. With a chuckle, he casually pointed
the staff at Rill. “Foolish boy. I can kill you before your sword’s half out of
its scabbard.”
Rill let his hand
drop to his side.
“Tsk-tsk,”
the rohan said, drawing closer. “Naughty boys charm seeking. That’s a death
offense. Unless you’re mages, of course. Are you mages, naughty boys?”
“You know we
ain’t,” Rill said through clenched teeth.
The rohan stepped
forward a few more paces until only a staff’s length separated them. “When I
came across your well-fed and groomed horses a while ago, I thought that maybe
their owners came from good families. Families with money. So I went looking
for you. My goodness, you weren’t hard to find. Not with all that racket you
made in here with the cougar. Boys with horses and swords. And purses hanging
from their belts.” His gaze riveted itself to Rill. “And with such interesting
things inside.”
Rill’s heart froze
into a lump of ice as he forced himself to return the rohan’s stare. He saw
me take the charm.
The rohan flashed
them both an evil smile. “So I said to myself, ‘Self, I bet those naughty
little boys are carrying some nice shiny gildas in their purses. Or maybe even
a goldie.’ You got any?”
“Why don’t you come
closer and find out?” Rill said. He’d tried to sound cocky, but his voice broke
halfway through the question.
The rohan grinned,
obviously enjoying himself. He pointed the staff at Rill. “Naughty boy. I hope
you don’t melt.”
Terror ripped
through Rill like a barbed arrowhead.
He had only moments
to live.
Hi, Jasmine,
ReplyDeleteThanks very much for being part of Charm Wars' blog tour.
You're very welcome! :)
Deletewow, the cover is really impressive!
ReplyDelete