In the kingdom of Rivenna, power flows from magic. The realm’s stability and military strength rest on the Gifts of its mages. Quinten, the only child of a noble family, has always dreamed of the Gift awakening within him. But that dream fades with the deaths of his parents and the weight of being branded a traitor’s son. Fate, however, has other plans—and Quinten soon discovers his powers are far greater than he ever imagined. When a mysterious sickness brought back from a failed campaign sweeps through Rivenna, devastating the mage population, Quinten’s hopes for a quiet life and escape from court politics begin to unravel. As tensions rise with a warlike neighboring kingdom and societal shifts unsettle Rivenna’s noble ranks, Quinten must decide what he’s willing to sacrifice to protect those he loves—or if the cost is simply too high. As duty and power collide, the fate of a kingdom lies upon the choices of one young mage. You can expect a 3x/wk posting scheduled: Monday, Thursday, & Saturday for the foreseeable future.  [participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge]