In broad terms, the Known World of Athonassyar can be divided into five regions which form a great cross, with the nation of Calig at its center.
In the capital of Calig, Nelok’tan, the City at the Center of the World, the blood-mages of House Magire strain against the laws of nature with their alchemical experiments. To the West, in the harsh desert cities of Makibar, the godless heathens at the Academies craft technological wonders never before dreamt of by man, while to the East, in the Isles of Angorn, the zealots of the God-King spread His word with fire and sword, and His most faithful servants command strange powers by His name. To the North, across the sea, the fearsome Dragon Lords rule their jungles with spear and claw, and to the South, beyond the Ironspire Mountains, myths and legends stir from their slumber . . .
In the fractured nation of Calig, cobbled together from the remnants of a once-mighty empire, a thief named Asher employs forbidden and secret arts to carry out his personal vendetta against Calig’s corrupt elite--the blood-mages of House Magire and their allies. When he discovers the existence of a secret journal whose contents could bring House Magire crumbling down once and for all, Asher must travel to Nelok’tan, home of the insidious blood-mages, to steal it from its guardians and put an end to their plots--but between a ruthless bounty hunter, a devious former partner, dangerous Magire abominations, and his own troubled past, Asher’s greatest heist yet will be anything but easy.
Hello, readers! I’m Wesley Reid, and this is my novel, Child of Secrets. Asher’s story is a gritty fantasy epic full of double-crossing and derring-do. This story originally started as a NaNoWriMo project, but it has grown so much since then! What originally started as a straightforward tale of greed and thievery has evolved into a complex narrative of strained relationships, paranoia, betrayal, self-destruction, and rebirth.
Child of Secrets is complete in a rough draft, and about halfway finished in a second, more polished draft. Since this is a draft, I am open to critiques and suggestions, either via comments in the draft or in direct messages. Thank you for taking the time to visit Asher and his story, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!