Book excerpt: A world divided and a world at war, those with power fight to restore balance and protect those in need without their knowing. Separated into five destructive elemental groups known as: Fulgor (Lightning); Incendiī (Fire); Aquāe (Water); Glacies (Ice), and Anima (Air), Mages are those born with the ability to wield a destructive element. They live amongst the Ungifted in secret, keeping them safe in elemental strongholds called ‘Arcēs.’ For beyond these havens, malevolent darkness repeatedly manifests, disrupting the natural world and shifting the balance of all things. The books follow the life of Charlize, the sixth Āetis. She comes from a chosen line of Mages – forbidden until the need arises. The only one able to wield every element, she must learn to lead her age. To prepare for her task, she undertakes a pilgrimage on her eighteenth birthday, accompanied by her proud father Charras and her childhood friend Christian – who knows nothing of his Mage heritage, although is bound to her somehow. She must visit each Mage clan on her journey, from the sequoia village of the Anima, to the electric caverns of the Fulgor, learning their ways and mastering their art. But with old prejudice and growing apathy, the feuds between clans and those of mixed blood, uniting them all will be about as easy as it sounds…