Chaz Brenchley – författare

For a thousand years, the great city of Sund stood impregnable while its enemy, Maras, remained outside the walls. Then the Marasi harnessed the powers of magic. Erecting an otherworldly bridge whose foundations were rooted in sorcery, the Marasi overran the walls of Sund and threw them down...Now, in the city known as Maras-Sund, magic has been outlawed. Yet there are hcildren being born with raw mahical talent—and there are those who would rally behind them to rebel against their hated overlords. Issel, a young  water-seller from the poorest part of the city, possesses the gift for magic. And when he is recognized for his talents, recruited, and trained in the arts, his abilities may hold the key to his people''s salvation. Jendre is the eldest daughter of a general under the Sultan of Maras, but she knows her father''s rise to power comes at a price—a price commonly paid by the daughters of those who serve the Sultan. She has prepared for the night the Sultan''s men take her away to be one of the vanished girls who—if the whispered rumors are true—are used to preserve the magical bridge into Sund upon which rests the fate of the empire. But her fate doe snot lie in oblivion. It lies with the Sultan himself...as his wife. In the coming conflict, bith Issel and Jendre will find themselves swept into the intrigues and machinations of two cultures: one determined to hold on to power and supremacy, the other struggling for survival—and freedom...

The two cities of Maras-Sund are bound by an otherworldly bridge the Marasi used to conquer the Sundain. With their own magic over the water diminished, the Sundain’s only hope for liberation lies with a man of limitless but untested power.   Possessing an affinity for water unparalleled by any of his people, Issel has led a small band of resistance fighters across the river from Sund to Maras in an attempt to break the magic binding the lands. But after taking refuge in the cistern network beneath the city, Issel finds his abilities overwhelmed in the presence of so much water—and threatening to tear him apart.   The rebels find an ally in Jendre, the daughter of a general in Maras’s army, who has her own vendetta against the regime. Her sister is held captive, along with others whose life essences power the magical bridge between her land and Sund.   Under other circumstances they would have been enemies. But in these extreme times, Issel and Jendre are the last hope of their two suffering peoples.   “Makes good use of its Arabian Nights-like ambience to create a visually stunning background for a story of courage, loyalty, and great sacrifice.”—Library Journal   “A lively adventure in which the paths to survival and morality frequently diverge.”—Publishers Weekly

Julianne has married again, and once more she has been whisked away on her wedding night, this time very much against her will. Clearly she must be rescued, but is she just the bait in a trap for someone else?Meanwhile a renegade preacher is performing miracles and gathering an army of the poor and needy about him. All of the warring factions in Outremer would love to know who is he working for, and doubtless suspect each other. But the preacher is clear in his intent. He means to lead his ragged army against Surayon.