Description
Along the border of the Realm of Man, one tiny tilt in the Balance will shake the very foundations of The Nine Realms... Calais Erbryn (or Callie, as she prefers to be called) knows who and what she is. She has been groomed for her role all her life. Her family, and the families that make up the town of Nerem, are not your average townsfolk. Each of them comes from a long line of people born with a natural talent for harnessing the forces of the natural world around them...Adepts who can wield tangible magic. But don't call them witches... Her parents, along with 11 other Adepts, sit as The Circle, the governing (guiding, rather) body that serves as counselor, mediator, judge, and jury. But their world is not a completely safe one, and each Adept in line to take a seat vacated by an Elder Adept is assigned to a protector on their 18th birthday. This protector is known as the Guardian. Their sole duty is to follow one order, regardless of what they must do in order to carry out that one order: Ensure the continuation of the life of the Adept they are Assigned to regardless of the cost. The Shifters in the neighboring town are growing restless, and the residents of Nerem are rocked by the arrival of several Alder Faefolk...ancient beings who are presented as descendants of the long-departed Fae, but whom are rumored to be the Fae themselves. The Faefolk are Equalizers of the Balance, but when they discover a tilt beyond the scope of their skills, they flee to Nerem to seek Sanctuary amongst the Adepts. Even worse, Callie's 18th birthday is tonight.
Prologue
