From U.S. Army Veteran-turned-author Morgan Spring-Glace, The Witches of Serna, book one of the War of the Mountains, begins an unforgettable chronicle of the clashing of cultures. Paeta is a fractious land. A land with many different peoples jealously guarding their holdings. Separated by their languages and appearances, war comes easily to the many nations of Paeta, ripping across the land, upending lives, and redrawing borders. Through the endless march of generations, it was only the elves that could see the pattern to it, only the elves that could stop it - to end the killing, if only others would listen.
Centuries ago, wars became smaller for one important reason... all of the wizards died. Killed off or disappeared into hiding, magic users vanished from the world. Whether they were humans, goblins, or any other, all magi died except for those among the elves and the dwarves. Elves became the primary custodians of magic and magic had become forbidden knowledge. For that knowledge would be the undoing of so many.
Holbrin, an old man even for an elf, was summoned and tasked by the Guardian Council to lead what should have been a routine survey of the human lands. His mission, to ensure that humans never regain that forbidden knowledge that could destroy them. An unexpected raid of orcs leaves Holbrin in a dilemma at finding an unusual grouping of human sorcerers with the ability to save themselves at the risk of destroying so many.
Oygariyet, a great leader among hobgoblins, seeks to unite his people and reclaim their birthright of riches stolen from generations past, but he cannot do it alone. As he gathers allies among his own kind, he also needs the raw numbers of the orcs. As he pursues the glory, he becomes locked in a struggle on two fronts: against the humans and against his orc allies.
Dareum and Judane, scions of a minor house of nobility, must lead the defense of the human town of Serna against the orc raids with the help of Holbrin and their new elven friends. But, when a young woman from their own town saves their lives with the frightening and uncontrollable gift of fire magic, they have to choose between the calls to kill the witch, or use their awful powers to save their town.
The result of more than 12 years of imagining, map drawing, planning, writing, research, re-imagining, and world building, The Witches of Serna is the opening move in a grand game, an unforgettable epic tale.
