Robert Priest – författare

A painted sword is their only protection from evil sorcery, strange creatures, and enemy forces.On the spell-crossed Phaer Isle, teenage Xemion dreams of being a great swordsman. When he finds a blade-shaped stick, he fashions it to look like a real sword. Knowing that the laws of their cruel Pathan conquerors would require a death sentence for possession of such an object, his friend Saheli demands he destroy it. He agrees, but insists on performing just one sword ceremony. When his mastery of the weapon, a skill long forgotten, is witnessed by a mysterious man named Vallaine, the two friends are invited to join a planned rebellion. At first they refuse, but when a sadistic official discovers their transgressions, they are forced to flee their home and embark on a dangerous journey to the ruins of the ancient city of Ulde, where rebel forces are gathering.Armed with only their wits and the painted sword, they face Thralls, Triplicants, dragons, rage-wraiths, and a host of other spell-crossed beings. As they approach the Great Kone, source of all spell-craft, Saheli’s fear of magic and Xemion’s attraction to it bind them in a crossed spell of their own — one that threatens to separate the two forever.

Two young friends are separated by a tragic crossed spell, and with war looming, will they be able to find each other again?The rebels have amassed in the ancient Phaer city of Ulde. Amongst the throngs of seasoned warriors and new recruits, young Xemion is at a crossroads. He believes in the cause of his people, and his dream of being a swordfighter is now within reach, but without his warrior beloved, Saheli, by his side, he’s incomplete.The two young friends have been caught up in a tragic crossed spell — with one destined to always remember and the other to forget. But in the end jealousy, anger, and betrayal may decide the fate of the two friends. Can Xemion find Saheli before she’s lost to him forever?

Tharfen might be the only person who can save the Phaer Isle, but she is missing a very important part of herself.In Book 3 of the Spell Crossed series, Tharfen, now eighteen, is still playing unwilling host to a shattered piece of her old friend turned enemy, Xemion. But no one seems to know where Xemion is, though rumours abound. As the Great Kone approaches its first full turn in fifty years, the unstable magic it unleashes grows more and more dangerous for all the Phaerlanders. Meanwhile, other perils abound: a vast influx of refugees from the Civil War in the north threatens to overwhelm the resources of Ulde while a Cyclopean armada approaches the isle from the west, its commander intent on revenge. Tharfen must find Xemion, but if she does, will the cost of restoring her missing piece be far too high a price to pay?CCBC’s Best Books for Kids & Teens (Spring 2017) Selection