Shouldn’t you be practicing your presentation, Misha? His nasal voice arched over the rooftop, loud enough to draw the attention of every studious mage. Navid flicked a condescending glance at me, and in that glance was all the superiority he wielded like a club in his privileged hand. Navid was born into the Kasdim, as I was, and would also face examinations tomorrow. Zahir’s finger traced a star chart, weighted with amulets and spread upon the roof’s ledge, as he explained some hidden knowledge to Navid. I glanced at Navid, his dark head bent to the shorter Zahir, who served as mentor to us both. I had one chance to redeem last month’s disaster. Only a few hours remained until dawn, and I must retrieve the one thing that would assure my place among them, that would give me an edge over Navid and all his advantages. But it was the night before my final examinations and I could not afford distraction. They bickered over the portent of that silver-white specter wandering the charred field of Sin, god of the night. Tonight on the palace roof I tried to look away, to stop my ears to the endless musings and sharp-tongued arguments of my fellow scholars. The soldier, the mage and the princess each has a secret to protect.īut if they are going to survive the dark forces warring for their prize, they must learn to trust each other-in what will surely be the journey of a lifetime.įrom that first night nine months ago, a sickness had been growing in me, like some hideous creature wanting to be birthed.

The king's general Reza seeks power to fulfill his mysterious destiny, and both he and Misha have their eye set on the Egyptian princess Kamillah, who will do anything to gain the artifact that could break her bondage to the sorcerer Zahir. The temptation to seize power is too great to resist.Īnd Misha is not alone in his quest. When the stars announce a strange royal birth, Misha, a first-level mage, is ready to prove himself by chasing down this new world leader.īut then an ancient document surfaces, whispering of an artifact of immense power. In the exotic lands of the east, a secret sect of Persian magicians study the night sky for generations.

So Shines the Night by Tracy L. Higley