The Renegade of Opshar (Queen Titania’s Court)

Today we conclude with Berisan, the main character in my most recent e-book, The Renegade of Opshar.

Berisan stepped cautiously from the mouth of a rocky tunnel. He had been working in the overhang beneath Weeping Falls, gathering the plentiful moss, when he felt a sudden, cool breeze. Haunting music and enticing aromas swirled around him, rich with unmistakable currents of magic. Instead of the jumbled rocks where moss grew, he now saw a tunnel — one that had never been there before.

There were many traps in Skaythe. A mage had to be careful. Yet Berisan sensed no malice in the harmonies that called to him. After a moment, he set down his moss basket and ventured through the stony portal. Soon the tunnel opened up, and wonders spread before him. Was it a vast cavern, or a woodland glade? He couldn’t have said, for it was filled with shimmering color and light.

Blinking, he focused on men and women, some dressed in glittering finery and others in plain working clothes. Many were as small as his hand, buzzing on translucent wings. One or two were great and craggy as trees come to life. Moving among them were strange beasts such as Berisan could never have imagined. Furred, winged, horned… And some of the humans were also horned or furred, or strangely light-skinned! Yet most appeared nearly normal, until you sensed the power that each one of them emitted.

Lilting music caught his ear. Half a dozen players made the melodies, stepping in and out as the mood took them. A multitude danced in this great hall, yet there was no sense of crowding and no tension between them. At the far end, a radiant woman sat on a throne of living whitewood. All the magic he sensed circulated around her. She did not try to control its course, but balanced it into perfect serenity.

Of all the wonders, this was the most incredible. Everywhere, Berisan felt the pulse of magic. It was not hidden, as it must be in Skaythe, but joyously accepted. If this was a dream, it was wonderful indeed.

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Character Questions

Who is your closest friend? My closest friends are a minstrel troupe. My brother Alemin and I juggle, Tisha dances and Meven gives puppet plays, while Keilos and Lorrah provide the music. Secretly, we are all mages. Once, we were the apprentices of Ar-Thea, a kind and loving mage who trained us to use our magic with compassion instead of rage and malice. She was killed by Dar-Gothull‛s vicious regime. Since then we travel, disguised as minstrels, to resist his brutal reign.

In your homeland, is magic feared or respected? It is both. On the surface, mages are greatly respected. Because of their magic, they are considered natural leaders. Mages have great wealth and political power. But Dar-Gothull‛s way teaches that only the strongest deserve to keep their riches, so there is constant fighting among the mages. The common people suffer as their battles overflow the land. So even as they show outward obedience, they also carry great hatred for their cruel masters.

Author Questions

Fantasy has many genres. How did you choose yours? To be honest, I‛m not sure I even know my genre. I say ‟high fantasy‟ because it deals with political and philosophical movements. At the same time, I‛m constantly questioning the assumptions that underlie fantasy, such as solving all problems through warfare. My work tends to be more personal, involving individuals and close families rather than having an epic scale. So people who think fantasy is all about knights and kings and grand battles may find my stories an odd fit. Still, there doesn‛t seem to be a better fit than ‟high fantasy.‟

Where is your favorite place for writing? I‛m one of those people who writes by habit, at the same time every day. I have an office where all my stuff is, and I spend about two hours in the evenings either directly composing new material or handling e-mails, my blog, and similar chores that support my career.

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The Renegade of Opshar

All Berisan wants is a place to hide. The insignificant village of Opshar seems like a perfect haven. Disguised as a beggar, he can lie low and evade the brutal hunter-guards. But Berisan isn‛t the only one with secrets.

Widowed and pregnant, Yamaya struggles to hold the farm she and her husband built, but she can‛t escape her sordid past. In desperation, she hires the one person who hasn‛t taken a side in Opshar‛s murky politics — the beggar, Sand.

Common sense tells Berisan to walk away, but his code as a minstrel compels him to help Yamaya if he can. Soon he faces a decision that challenges every principle he holds. Will he give up the safety of his secrets, or allow another to suffer in his place?

Get it now from Amazon or Books2Read!

About Deby Fredericks

Deby Fredericks has been a writer all her life, but thought of it as just a fun hobby until the late 1990s. She sold her first work, a children’s poem, in 2000. She has six novels in print through two small presses. Her short fiction has appeared in the pages of Andromeda Spaceways, Boys’ Life, and others. Currently she is self-publishing her high fantasy novella series, Minstrels of Skaythe. She also blogs twice a week here at Wyrmflight.

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