Persiana's Journey

In a world where Men are ascendant, several Thornhowe families travel north to claim land now available after the end of the Dark Horde War. Eleven-year-old PERSIANA THORNHOWE longs to see the magical creatures which filled her grandmother's stories, not knowing her desire portends heroic struggles in her future. In the Silver Mountains, all the Thornhowes are massacred by Elves protecting their territory except for Persiana and her younger brother, LIAM.

Persiana and Liam walk out of the mountains to a village whose people send them to the King's Voice in the city of Clareskai. Misjudging the two as runaways, the official sends them to be wards of an innkeeper, Mistress FRANCA HAWSER, for disciplining. Treated like a servant, Persiana discovers friends who ease her four years of abuse. Conflict between the innkeeper and the girl escalates as Persiana asserts her independence and as the girl becomes a target for a soldier's unsavory attention. Her mistress beats Persiana for luring the soldier, locking Liam and Persiana in the attic to await more torture. They use imagination, energized by strong desire, to escape their prison through a legendary tunnel under the city. Triumphing over obstacles, they reach the river running to the west of Clareskai and float downstream.

On a dock the children meet URSOS BAWN who owns a trading house. After hearing their story, he is prompted by an inner voice to offer them sanctuary. In his care, Liam trains to be a trader while Persiana learns to run the warehouse and keep accounts. As Persiana enters adulthood, she has one romance but remains aloof from the young men around her. Past experiences make it easier for Persiana to judge others as unsuitable rather than risk rejection.

When fourteen, Liam embarks on his first caravan. While he is gone, Ursos shows Persiana that he wants her for his wife. After Liam is captured by raiders, Persiana rides out to find him, but she is captured and enslaved by the Hawk Clan of the desert tribes. Her master, EVODIN, is a wise potter who teaches her many lessons about love, freedom, and patience. She becomes a proficient potter under his tutelage, but she continues judging others to protect herself from attachment.

When Persiana and her master travel with the clan chieftain to sell their goods, the potter reveals she has a perilous future. The caravan is ambushed by raiders who prey on their own tribe. Her master dies. One of the attackers is Liam who has become a member of the Snake Clan. Because Persiana won't fight for a place in the clan, she is enslaved once again. She and Liam argue about their choices. To escape death or slavery, Liam has transformed into a warrior whose mind has been warped by the chieftain's beliefs. No matter what his sister says, Liam claims selfishness rules the world and honor is a lie. Persiana makes an enemy of a woman who loves her brother, so she must escape or be killed by her enemy.

As Persiana gathers needed supplies for her escape, the King's soldiers assail the Snake Clan to end their predation. During the attack, Persiana and her enemy fight, and Persiana triumphs. Persiana searches for Liam, finding him as the soldiers win the battle. While sorting the prisoners, the commander hears Persiana's story. He gives all the slaves their freedom, but to Liam he gives the choice of exile or studying for two years in a monastery whose members heal those whose minds were damaged during the war. Liam chooses the monastery but blames Persiana for the punishment.

Free at last, Persiana rides west. She learns the rudiments of staff fighting on her journey and decides to return to her birthplace. Ruminating on her life, Persiana understands that she has learned the importance of freedom and of love, but she knows more lessons await her if the predictions are true.