Sara isn't selfish. She's sorrowfish.

INDIE'S TODAY BEST FANTASY 2019

Sara is having crazy dreams. Gryphon and dragon crazy. The scary part is waking up, safe in her apartment, with scratches and splinters. Is she losing it because of stress? One more unfinished sculpture will fully tank her grades. Goodbye bachelor's degree, hello failure. Her twin sister is in a coma. And on top of everything else, her best friend Peter wants a date.

It's enough to make anyone sleepwalk.

Choosing to defy the Conclave, Bard-in-training Trystan risks capture and mind control to find a magical lute through a shadow network. Luthier-wizard Dane meets a sinister stranger and barely escapes with his life. Together, they must end an ancient curse, guided by a fae they only know as Sara.

"A richly conceived fantasy with a grand emotional payoff" Kirkus Reviews

"..the book offers a lot to readers who are looking for a more creative fantasy that doesn’t employ an axe to the face. " – Booknest.eu

Cast

Locations

Groups

Forgemen

Forgemen

The mountain capitol of Pelegor, Mos Tevis, is the home of the Forge. Its magical fire is used to produce songsteel, the only material capable of destroying the Shadowborn. Most men of working age are members of the Forge guild. The Forge is so entwined in the culture, the king is known as the Forgelord and Forgemen are synonymous with Pelegorians. They are also known as Northmen. As a rule they are fierce warriors and capable navigators. They use longships to transport their wares. Both men and women train in combat, ready to use their songsteel blades to defend the innocent. They have a close camaraderie with the dwarven clans, who live in their midst.

Spinners

Spinners

A shadow network of rogues committed to upholding the Song. They work against the Conclave with subterfuge, protecting all Majesterium artifacts and lore. They also trade in forbidden enchanted musical instruments and train their members to use them. Unofficially, they serve High King Tenneth. Officially, they don't exist. Their main Nest is in Baehnt, but there is a representative in most major cities and towns. They protect dewin from the Conclave and have a special interest in Siarad. They employ a code to communicate safely called the Spinner's Cant.

Fae

Fae

Ghostly people who rapidly flicker in and out of sight, the fae are the subject of many children's stories. Dewin, gnomes and some children may see them easily. They often speak words that are difficult to understand and it is rumored they cannot be trusted. The oldest tales say they were messengers from the Storm King with ties to the Majesterium. A fae could bond with a dewin and become faisant. The dewin thus bonded became a Majister.

Wyn Chymaera

Wyn Chymaera

Chymaera are creatures who can transform after they mature, a process called quickening. The Wyn transform into gryphons. Tall, very thin and alabaster-skinned with white hair in their unwinged state, the Wyn love beauty. They work daily in songpitches, creating Watchers, Speakers and Takers. After the War of the Wyrm they retreated into their aerie and are rarely seen among men.

Caprices

Caprices

The Caprices haunt the island of Anach in Siarad. They give oracles to the pilgrims who seek them out and appear at irregular intervals in Siarad for this purpose. They have no form other than their robes, which appear to float.

Cyntae

Cyntae

The Cyntae are the firstbon of creation and assisted the Storm King in governing until the War of the Wyrm. The Conclave teach that the Storm King is dead and the Cyntae now sustain the Song. Daily Canting services are held by the Conclave to assist them in this work. Chymaera cannot quicken without the Cyntae but only one, Doran, has manifested since the War. There are eight Cyntae. Domini is the oldest and the leader, Renato, Miah, Faron, Solimon, Lalo, Tieson and Doran. 

Cantors

Cantors

Cantors are Conclave priests and officials. They conduct daily canting services to support the Cyntae. They also capture dewin and purify them so that they may not go mad and kill others.

Gnomes

Gnomes

Gnomes range in size from six inches tall for their children to about 3 and a half feet tall. They have a special bond with the earth and stone and can walk through them much as humans can swim. They speak with all animals. They live together in a burrow. Gnomes have a rhythm, a cadence to all they do, a response to the Song which pulses through them. When two or more gnomes are together it is very noticeable and they create a kind of percussive music. A gnome who adopts a human family is called a deema

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