For ten years, since she fled from the College where the magically gifted are taught, Kisea has been living on the run, concealing her unusual and frightening telepathic gift. Only her sorcerer ex-lover Matt knows, and has been looking for her. When his cousin is kidnapped, matters quickly grow even more complex.
A fantasy novel about fear and trust and hope
Ten years ago, at the College where sorcerers and telepaths and lifewitches learn about their gifts: boy meets girl, girl discovers her own frightening abilities, boy loses girl when she runs away from the authorities who would condemn her for those abilities.
Ever since, Kisea has been in hiding as a renegade, with a new name, never staying anywhere long, never letting anyone find out too much about her. The uncommon telepathic gift that earns her blessings when she heals minds would, if anyone knew its full nature, evoke only fear and horror: controllers are, after all, monsters from a fireside tale.
The one person Kisea has ever trusted completely, during the interval between a childhood of inherited shame and an adulthood of paranoia, is the one person who knows what she is and the one person who would recognize her immediately – and he’s under an Oath to return any renegade to the College by any means necessary.
Ever since, Matt has been watching for her, and looking for a way to help. She’s still alive, at least; knowing what to watch for, the rumours and traces of an ever-moving half-siren mindhealer of extraordinary strength are unmistakable. Now in a position of considerable authority and responsibility, he believes he knows a way – if he can only find her and persuade her to listen to him.
She’s the last person he expects to trip over when his highborn cousin Kallima is kidnapped, but when the situation turns out to be far more complicated than it appeared, that unlikely chance could make all the difference for everyone involved.
Content Warnings
Siren sexual nature is misunderstood by many in Caalden, and as a result they are frequently the targets of sexual abuse. Sirens being what they are, they don’t really differentiate between kinds of assault, but that’s limited help. It is never portrayed as positive or excusable, but there are a couple of mildly explicit scenes and multiple passing references.
This is a world with multiple cultures crammed in close together, and their attitudes towards other races, sex, gender, relationships, and other things vary. This is not a universally-accepting or universally-peaceful setting and in some places, discrimination is considered normal, while in others, it’s considered unacceptable. As usual with my work, efforts are being made by our heroes in the direction of diversity, although it isn’t happening overnight.
Find It
Find it free on Scribble Hub! Coming soon: This will also be available as an epub (for a small price) on Patreon, Ko-fi, and itch.io! (Free community copies available on itch, on your honour!)
Everything I write is available for free, even though I have devoted immense amounts of time over the years to my skills and to each individual work. I know myself, and if I start writing for pay, it will stop being fun. What I do ask, however, is that you please let me know. Drop a comment or a private message on Scribble Hub, email me (I hate spam too and would never share addresses!), or look me up elsewhere. There’s up-to-date contact info on the About the Author page. Interaction with readers isn’t what keeps me writing, but it does keep me completing, polishing, and releasing stories, so I’m very grateful for every bit!
Original ebook release: (right here) 31 May 2015; (Smashwords) 4 June 2015
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