Keaen

Keaen, Till Noever, Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing, 2004

This fantasy story is about the land of Keaen, whose central idea or concept is the survival of an ancient Covenant between the ruler and the people. One manifestation of that Covenant is that the ruler of Keaen can not marry or even have a lover. Heirs to the throne are created by the ruler impregnating any woman in the kingdom that he wishes. If a male child is born, that child is taken from the mother and spends his life in the castle. Armist is very uninterested in taking over as ruler, because he believes himself to be the product of such a union. His sister, Tahlia, is about to be married off to one of the local barons, a prospect that she equally dreads.

In Keaen, opposition to the Covenant is growing. Would-be rebels start to organize, semi-openly. One huge push is all that is needed to bring down the whole system. Armist and Tahlia aren't thinking about that when they flee the castle, throwing everything into chaos. They just want to get as far away as possible. Along the way, Armist and Tahlia find that they have friends within the castle.

Caitlan is the royal Weaponsmaster and Pandrak is the emissary of the magices of Skele (the head wizard). They have their reasons for wanting the system changed, so, in their own ways, they keep the pursuit away from Armist and Tahlia. Naturally, their father, King Hain, is not taking this lying down; their freedom doesn't last for long. Tahlia is forced into marriage with Baron Tegel, a fat, disgusting man with an unnatural liking for young boys. Armist is captured by forces loyal to Tergan, Keaen's neighbor and long-time enemy.

This one is very good. It's more of an adventure tale with narrow escapes, knife fights and carnivorous beings who come out at night. It may take some work on the part of the reader, but this is recommended.