The Power of the Powerless
Welcome to a richly imagined medieval fantasy world where most people are born with a shaped birthmark on their palm. The shape of the mark dictates a relationship between that person and one of four elements (earth, air, fire, and water). From birth, the individual will have an uncontrolled relationship with that element. If you have an air mark, you might accidentally unleash lightning bolts when angry or summon gale-force winds in despair.
When marked people reach young adulthood, they participate in a ritual known as bonding, in which they press their palms together with another person. A magical reaction occurs If they are true soulmates, and they will now have control over their element. In Somanchi (the central kingdom of the novel), these bonding rituals are always between a man and a woman, and the bonded pair then lives together as husband and wife.
MARKLESS I 9781646143771 I $19.99 I Hardcover I On Sale: 7/23
As you might imagine, having control over an element is very powerful, and the entire infrastructure of society is based around using these elemental powers.
But what of those who have no mark? They are known as “Markless.” They have no powers and are seen as useless members of society who are cast aside and forced into a miserable existence in the slums. Most do not survive into adulthood.
Our heroine, twenty-year-old Ruti, is Markless but has a special gift. In her youth, an old man taught her singing magic that she uses to call to animal spirits for help. That help can be provided in various forms. If a person threatens to harm her physically, she can sing to the lion spirit, and a physical lion will come to her aid. If she embarks on a frightening or risky endeavor, she can sing to the lion spirit to be imbued with the courage for which a lion is known. She has used this skill to survive the harsh existence of a Markless.
The king of Somanchi has died, and his daughter Dekala is ascending the throne. She has a strong elemental mark but is only eighteen and has not yet been bonded. Her uncle wishes this to take place before she becomes queen and has summoned princes from around the world to see if a match can be found. Dekala does NOT want to be bonded. She is in love with one of her palace guards and sees no need to have a husband to be queen. She enlists Ruti to use her animal magic to sabotage the bonding rituals.
This is more challenging than it may seem, and the two eventually must flee Somanchi on an epic adventure. They travel to foreign lands that are different from theirs and meet people who show them the endless possibilities of life, magic, and love. There’s also a very satisfying twist at the end.