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Cloak of Magic S.A. Rule

Synopsis.

Beneath the cloak of magic is the story of a man.

Behind the myth of the Fair Land are the dreams and hopes of human beings – not the ambitious and the powerful, but those who aspire to no more than a good living for themselves and their families.

Such are the majority of the people who inhabit the land of Shehaios. To her neighbours in Caiivor, their land is a rich and unattainable place guarded by natural magic. To those who live there, it is comfortable farming land, with good hunting, an equitable human society and a long history. They accept the subtle magic at work there without being aware of it.

The first volume in the histories of Shehaios tells the stories of two young men as they come into their inheritance. KIERCE inherits an individual liberty, but also an intelligence enhanced by an ability to read the minds and instincts of the animal world, including humans. He is forced to accept that this gift brings with it the responsibilities of the Lord High Magician, the figure whose magic keeps Shehaios alive.

The story of Kierce’s reluctant assumption of the Magician’s mantle, and his attempts to deal with the formidable task he inherits with it, is set against the bigger story of Shehaios’ communal struggle to survive in the face of an overwhelming invading culture.

Their neighbours in Caiivor are dominated by the Empire of the Sacred Union, a monolith born of war, a military giant set on the enforcement of a peace which benefits the wealthy city at its heart.

On the edges of the Empire’s influence, Shehaios suffers from the predations of raiding tribes driven north by the advance of Imperial law. In the face of this threat, Shaihens find common ground with the goals of the Empire, and as a peaceful people they are reliant on the military might of the Imperial Army for protection. The Shaihen King, RAINUR, seeks an alliance to forestall the loss of Shaihen independence that would result from an Imperial invasion. He consummates the alliance by marriage to the Emperor’s daughter.

When Kierce seduces the King’s Imperial bride the night before her wedding, he begins a chain of events which divide the two men whose partnership is vital to the survival of Shehaios – the King and the Magician.

The problems and conflicts King Rainur’s strategy cause in Shehaios are told through the eyes of CARAS, heir to the Chief of Oreath. Unlike Kierce, he has grown up in the knowledge that he will one day inherit responsibility for the protection of his people and his culture. He is not prepared, however, for the major changes that Rainur’s alliance brings to Shehaios. He is continually brought up against the unavoidable fact that the peaceful, egalitarian Shaihen culture cannot survive without employing the aggressive and inequitable strength which informs the Caiivorian Empire – a strength which Kierce is increasingly drawn into.

This story is not a conflict between good and evil, but about a fight to keep alive ideals and values. Caras believes in peace, but he will fight to defend the culture he inherits. He believes in freedom but he has firm ideas about right and wrong.

He believes in the Magician, but he knows Kierce too well to be able to trust him.

Kierce in turn inherits the Magician’s powers of healing, but also the crippling ability to feel the pain of those around him; he can manipulate the thoughts and feelings of human beings, but he cannot avoid their influence on his own emotions. All knowledge is available to him, but he has to know what to look for and how to use it. He holds a Magician’s power, but his judgement is human. Ultimately, Kierce’s judgement is fatally flawed. Rainur’s dream of preserving an isolated, independent Shehaios within the mighty Caiivorian Empire is not to be.

Comment:

“… a book full of magical fantasy. ….everything a good book needs, sex, violence and intrigue. It’s a great read, sequel in progress, and I for one am looking forward to it.”

Liz Wade, Review for Around Kent Folk.

Sue Rule Synopsis Cloak of magic