On the planet Elystra, the all-female Ixtrayu tribe have thrived, hidden from their world's male-dominated societies for eight centuries. Thirty-five generations of Protectresses have safeguarded their sisters from the men who would destroy them for the Elemental power they wield. But how did it all begin? .
Seeking riches and power, a band of vicious slavers steal twenty girls from their homes, as well as the Agrusian Stone, long fabled for its beauty and pricelessness. Among the abducted is Sahria, an eighteen-year-old novice, determined to free herself and return home. When the Stone unexpectedly imbues her with her god's divine power, she realizes freedom for herself and her sisters is within her grasp ... but to save them all would mean leaving behind everything she's ever known. With a slaver's market looming, Sahria must make a choice: escape and return to the safety of her Order, or embark on a far more dangerous path, one where mere survival is only the beginning.
The book has been well received and is a prequel to a series that has gotten rave reviews. The first book in that series, Pawns, won a Bronze Medal in Epic Fantasy in the Readers Favorite contest in 2018.
The first thing Sahria noticed was the pain. Before she’d even opened her eyes, she felt it spreading through every inch of her body. Attempting to move would likely only make it worse, but given her present situation, she had to risk it.
Coarse ropes cut into her wrists and ankles. With every move, agony seared through her. She gave silent thanks to Arantha, divine god and guardian of all Creation, that she was in a sitting position rather than face down in the dirt of . . . where on Elystra am I?
Expecting sunlight on her skin but feeling none, she opened her eyes a crack. The twilight-tinged darkness, the dank air, and the sensation of cold, hard stone against her back suggested a cave of some sort. She opened her eyes all the way, and immediately wished she hadn’t. She was in a cave, a claustrophobic fear she had yet to conquer.
The only light piercing the intransigent darkness came not from within the cave but from just outside it. Though Sahria couldn’t feel its warmth, the flickering, dancing light seeping through the entrance gave evidence that someone had set up a campfire. Several sparks and wisps of smoke drifted past, the silence disrupted only by the faint crackle of burning, splintering firewood.
The paltry light was enough for her to discern other forms huddled beside her. They, too, were bound hand and foot. Several bodies were propped up against the wall, while others slumped on the cave floor. They were all women. Many wore the clothes of commoners: simple long-sleeved brown or cream-colored tunics that provided protection against the Elystran sun. She guessed most of them were from Agrus, the country of her birth.
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Italian
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Already translated.
Translated by Alessandro Sciascia
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Spanish
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Already translated.
Translated by Talía García
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