The Shifting Balance

“You have to live with the notion of, If I don’t write this, no one’s going to write it. If I die, this idea dies with me.”                                                                                   ~ Lin-Manuel Miranda

 

What is the Shifting Balance?

Prophecy of the Stars: Part 1 – Revelations is the first book in an adult Speculative Fiction series called The Shifting Balance. It is an action/adventure paced, character driven story that leans toward fantasy, with elements of Romance and Science-Fiction. Part 1 is just the beginning of Mahren, Raiff, Sam, and Johnquil’s journey. There is a lot I could say about a series that has been my passion for over ten years; simply put, it is what you might get if Game of Thrones invited Outlander to its ‘Red Room of Pain’ and they had a baby and then took a family vacation to Lord of the Rings-ville.

Mahren is a young woman who has been living in hiding, disguised as a boy. After she learns the truth of her parent’s past, her father discovers that she may be the key to restoring the Shifting Balance. He sends her to find a powerful weapon that has been lost, and an island that cannot be found. She must journey through love, betrayal, and sacrifice before she can find her true path.

Mahren finds out that she is Sceleste; a heritage that was once held sacred among the people, now it means certain death. After her father finally tells her the real story of their past and the truth behind her disguise, change comes in the form of Raiff Finlon, a childhood friend she has secretly loved for many years. His haunted past blinds him to the truth when he discovers Mahren’s secret. He sends her away, hoping to protect their town, hoping to right a terrible wrong… hoping to never see her again.

Johnquil is Mahren’s father. He is not about to let her leave, until he finds out that she has three marks. No Sceleste has ever been born with three. Realizing that she is the one foretold in the sacred prophecy, he believes, as so many others do, that she is the only one who can restore the Balance and wield a powerful weapon that can defeat Emperor Kahrus. Mahren is not sure if she believes in prophecy, but she cannot let her father down.

It may already be too late. Emperor Kahrus needs to find the one who holds the power of three. After starting the War with the People over twenty years ago, he has slowly destroyed the world of the Sceleste, killing them all, one by one, by stealing their power and merging it with his own. Now, that dark power controls him and he needs her or the power will consume him. He is drawn to a small town in the North. Instead of finding Mahren, he finds Raiff. Using the connection Raiff has with Mahren, he curses Raiff with a terrible and dark obsession; an unnatural need and ability to find her. Raiff sets out with a group of brutal soldiers to track Mahren down and bring her to the Emperor.

Far from home, Mahren keeps her disguise, but she is not out of danger. In her search for the weapon, she finds Samuel; a man with a secret of his own. She is certain he is connected in some way, yet his business partner, Wilhem, hates the Sceleste, like most people, yet his anger runs deep with a violent passion. Somehow, she must find a way to get the answers she seeks, while Samuel’s need to help others, along with his mysterious past, draws her to him in a way she cannot ignore.

When John finds out that Kahrus now hunts his daughter, there is only one thing left for him to do. Tired of running, tired of hiding, it is now time to fight. He must inspire change by giving the people of their small town the courage to stand up with him and take back what has been stolen from them. Change is in the air, and it will start with the people of Serhena Valley, a place named for peace.