Their quest is difficult. The cost is high - Protector of Ter Chadain series by C.S. Yelle

From Goodreads: "Reclaiming Ter Chadain is a wonderful addition to any fantasy-lover's bookshelf. [...] This book was a true page-turner for me. I didn't want to stop reading to find out what would happen next. The plot itself was unpredictable, keeping me guessing and surprising me at several turns. [...] C.S. Yelle does a wonderful job of world-building and character development. "

Description:

"If the true bloodline does not rule Ter Chadain, the Protector shall appear and reclaim the throne for the rightful Queen."

King Englewood reads the prophecy every day since he murdered the royal family, all of them. Or so he thought. The three year old twins escaped that night thirteen years ago, but his men are closing in to finish the job before they can turn sixteen and activate the magic spell making his worst fears a reality. A Protector in Ter Chadain and a royal heir with claims to the throne he now held.

Logan and Teah Lassain witness the violent murder of their family and narrowly escape. They now find themselves not only thrust into the revolution, but the keys to the reunification of Ter Chadain.

Bestowed with the powers and spirits of past Protectors, Logan must learn to control both before their memories destroy him. Wrenched with anger and the desire for revenge on the man responsible for decimating his life, King Englewood, Logan must keep to the path of greater good and gather support for the revolution from the dukes and duchesses of Ter Chadain.

Teah is trained by the Zele Magus, an order of sorceresses, to control and accept her newly discovered magical powers enabling her to take the throne. Struggling, she must also ask the question...what happens when there are two Protectors of Ter Chadain? Two Protectors are not foretold in the prophecies....

King Englewood is dead. Logan Lassain, the Protector of Ter Chadain, has cleared the way for his sister, Teah, to claim the throne as the rightful Queen of Ter Chadain and cast out the invading Caltorian forces.

But Teah cannot claim that throne. She is captive on a slave ship sailing to Caltoria with other magical slaves to have their fates decided by the evil Empress of Caltoria.

With Logan in pursuit to free her, Teah must keep her identity as rightful Queen of Ter Chadain hidden until she can escape.

As a slave, Teah’s magical powers are withheld from her by an ancient gemstone placed on her forehead called a “soul stone”. The clear gem darkens in color once placed upon a magical’s forehead indicating the strength of their magic. Teah’s stone darkens to a deep black marking her as the strongest magical in Caltoria since her ancestor, the first Queen of Ter Chadain. This draws unwanted attention and puts her future in great peril.

Logan and his small band of rescuers must hurry. Their quest is difficult. The cost is high. New allies are found. Old friends are lost…forever. Risking death at every turn, they rush to rescue Teah. But the only way Logan can save Teah and keep Ter Chadain from falling under Caltorian rule is by not only risking death, but risking something more precious…his freedom.

EXCERPT

Another hissing rushed to his ears as an arrow lodged into a tree nearby, the shaft vibrating. Logan dropped to the sticks and leaves, the dirt and decaying matter stirring as his breathing came in short bursts.

Feeling a soft touch at his side he turned. Pain rippled within his father’s deep blue orbs. “Run,” he gasped. And then his eyes lost their focus, staring past Logan.

“Father,” the young man cried softly, but his father didn’t hear.

Another arrow flying overhead sent Logan into motion.

Logan burst to full speed, moving from side to side, making himself as difficult a target as possible. Several arrows struck trees around him as he ran, their vibrations singing a demented tune.

Just then, a horrible thought sent him stumbling.

Home!

Logan pushed himself, darting around obstacles with the experience of many years in these woods. Rounding the large oak at the corner of the house, something felt terribly wrong.

The doors to both the barn and house stood open with no signs of his sisters or mother in the yard.

He rushed into the house, shouldering the door, slamming it against the wall. The echo bounced off the interior as he came to a sliding halt. His mother lay on the kitchen floor. A large pool of crimson blood flowered around her, her own kitchen knives protruding from her stomach. Her eyes clenched tight against her attacker.

Logan knelt, pausing only to bow his head, and then sped to the rear of the house and out the back door in search of his sis-ters. Almost immediately he halted, holding back bile.

Senia slumped over the side of the well. Blood ran down her legs, pooling at her feet. Touching her shoulder caused her head to loll to one side, revealing the long, deep slit in her throat. Her hazel eyes stared off, her mouth opened wide in her last scream.

Hairs rose on the back of his neck, nausea flowing over him.

The blood dripped, dripped, dripped into the water below.

Logan stumbled frantically over the tufts of grass in the yard, tears blurring his vision as he raced to the barn.

He staggered inside, falling on his hands and knees, scrambling urgently to his feet. Moving slower, his eyes adjusting to the darkness within, he crept from one stall to another, wincing at each opening at the prospect of what he might discover.

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About the author:

C.S. Yelle was born and raised in Grand Rapids, MN, the "almost" middle child of six. He attended Grand Rapids Senior High School where he enjoyed music and sports. He received his BS in Chemistry from Mayville State University, Mayville, ND in 1987. He taught 7-12 Science and coached for six years in several North Dakota schools and currently works as an Executive Account Manager in the Water Treatment Industry where he has been for nearly seventeen years. 

He is the father of four and grandfather of one. 

He writes novels, screenplays, and an occasional short story. He has been writing seriously for over ten years and plans to continue until his fingers are unable, maybe longer. He currently resides in a Minneapolis, MN suburb with his wife Jennifer.

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