Catalyst (Sanctuary)

Catalyst (Sanctuary)

Betrayal. Exile. Captivity. Frey’s ambition to slay the tyrannical king of her people survived all three. Her quest for power leads her to the Crystal, renowned as the Realm of Mages, a supposed oasis of prosperity and peace. But is it really? Red paints the all-seeing eyes of a clairvoyant, betraying his wrath. Ink stains the tears of a good man who nearly lost his path. Scars mar the skin of the shapeshifter renouncing their face. Doom threatens a newborn crying in their mother’s embrace. Right. “Peace”. What a bloody joke. A ruthless killer shatters the illusion and Frey’s humor dies with it. Their use of the one school of magic she hoped to never encounter again replaces it with fear. Her allies may yet prove to be adversaries: a childhood friend turned mortal enemy who'd kill Frey at the first slip of her disguise and the most feared man in the Crystal, who holds the thread that can unravel her web of lies. Both could kill her. Both have reason to try. Frey can’t keep her distance from either. The line between good and evil is nonexistent: compassion would cost lives where cruelty might save them. In a world insistent on claiming her humanity, can Frey afford the sacrifices that would preserve it?