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High magic had been lost to Valdemar since Vanyel gave his life to save the kingdom from destruction by dark sorceries. Now it falls to Herald Elspeth, heir to the throne, to take up the challenge and seek a mentor who will awaken her Mage abilities...

The first half of the book alternates between two plots: Elspeth's mission to find mages, and Darkwind's struggles in clan k'Sheyna.

Synopsis[]

Elspeth is under the tutelage of Herald-Captain Kerowyn, who arrived in Valdemar seven years ago during the last war with Hardorn.[1] Through Kerowyn's training she narrowly escapes an assassination attempt sent by Ancar, the usurper prince of Hardorn. She is convinced Ancar will attack again and asks permission of the Queen and Council to go looking for mages, since Valdemar has no knowledge of true magic. They agree only after being pressured by the Companions, the horse-shaped beings who are the lifelong partners of the Heralds. Herald Skif goes with her as an escort; Kerowyn gifts her with the legendary magical sword Need.

Meanwhile, the Hawkbrother clan k'Sheyna is in dire straits. While the clan was moving from their current location to a new one, the clan's Heartstone (a special object which acts as a well of power accessible to mages of the clan) went rogue and shattered. The Gate which connected the two locations failed, stranding half the clan in the new location. Half of the mages who were holding the Gate were killed or injured; many were injured or traumatized. One of them, Songwind, changed his name to Darkwind, renounced the use of magic, and began living outside the Vale (the magically-protected area used as a home by Tayledras clans) and serving as a scout. His father Starblade pressures him to return to magic, but he refuses, fearing in part that he caused the Heartstone to fail. His real allies are a pair of gryphons, Treyvan and Hydona, mages themselves and advance scouts from Clan k'Leshya, the so-called Lost Clan.

Lurking at the edges of k'Sheyna territory is the sinister mage Mornelithe Falconsbane, a man who has changed his form to resemble a giant man-cat. Starblade is his unwilling agent; Falconsbane caught and tortured him until he broke, and controls him through a crow acting as a bondbird.

Falconsbane's abused daughter Nyara escapes him and finds her way to Darkwind and the gryphons for protection, but she also is still under his control. When she reveals that Starblade is controlled by Falconsbane, Darkwind rushes to the Vale and breaks the connection. Falconsbane forces Nyara to return to him, and when she reveals the existence of the gryphons, he demands to know everything about them. He has an obsessive hatred of gryphons and wishes to capture Treyvan, Hydona, or their two young children.

A young Tayledras woman, Dawnfire, is in deep mental connection with her bondbird when she witnesses Falconsbane's attempt to take or subvert the gryphlets. She and her bondbird try to drive him off, but her mind is trapped in the bird's body, which Falconsbane takes prisoner.

Elspeth successfully resists her Companion Gwena's attempt to steer her along a predestinated path to greatness and looks for help among the Shin'a'in. Cryptic clues steer her to k'Sheyna territory, where she encounters Darkwind. After a tense meeting, he begins to believe her offer to help him fight off Falconsbane.

Dawnfire, trapped in her bird's body, escapes Falconsbane and returns with the news that Ancar is planning to attack them. The sword Need recognizes that this is simply a ruse to lead them away from the Heartstone and the gryphons. They try to ambush Falconsbane, but he is strong and devious, and manages to escape.

At the story's conclusion, the clan has been freed from Falconsbane's influence through Starblade, and the outsiders have been accepted warily into the Hawkbrothers' trust. Dawnfire's human body is dead, and as a bird her mind will eventually vanish. To everyone's surprise, the Star-Eyed Goddess transforms her into a spirit-being, becoming an Avatar of the Goddess.

Characters[]

Characters appearing or mentioned in the book.

Main characters[]

Major characters[]

Minor characters[]

Referenced characters[]

Places[]

Terminology[]

Translations[]

Czech:

  • Vítr Osudu, translated by Helena Nevřelová, Universum, 1997

French:

  • Les Vents du Destin, 1992

Japanese:

  • The book was also published as a manga in Japanese

Polish:

  • Wiatr Przeznaczenia, translated by Joanna Wołyńska, Zysk i S-ka, 1996

Gallery of cover images[]

See also[]

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