Welcome to the World of
Etched in Bone
Two Sentence Synopsis
Ren Dreyden, a skilled warden, is blackmailed by a prince who chooses her to be his champion in a contest between his siblings. She must kill the high king before the three other unknown competitors, or her life is forfeit.
Story Overview
Etched in Bone is set in a world with nine kingdoms tied together by an alliance. They are ruled by their own monarchies while there is an overarching high ruler who gains this position by winning the high seat trials. It is during High King Allenon Tourdaine’s 22nd year of ruling, that this story takes place.
Allenon’s four heirs Thayer, Ayla, Kayden, and Rylan, create a secret competition between themselves for who can have their father killed first. They will select champions, unknown to each other, that will try and kill the king after a selected start date. Whoever’s champion is successful, earns the right to compete in the next high seat trials. To kill the king is no easy feat, not only because of how guarded he is, but because of how he guards himself. Allenon takes advantage of wards.
In this world, the magic system is based on the idea that everything alive has a soul, and a soul means life magic. This can be used to create curses, make healing potions, but most importantly, life magic can be channeled using ward marks. These marks, known as warding, are supposedly the language of the gods and are not fully understood. People are still trying to gather as much information about warding to have a fuller comprehension of its potential. Those who do study and work with wards are called wardens.
For years now, twenty-two-year-old Ren Dreyden has worked as a warden’s assistant at a store named Curse Cures and Ward Workarounds. This store, however, is a front for the illegal ward trading business run by Captain Serein, a merchant with an unfaltering loyalty to profit. Ren is the key to Serein’s business because she is not only a talented warden, but someone with the born ability to hear ward marks when they are active, giving her the distinct advantage of being able to figure out new ward combinations. She is what is known as a Composer. People like Ren are incredibly rare, and Serein knows it, which is why Ren is supposed to keep it secret.
But Prince Rylan peddles in secrets. When his sources find Ren, he blackmails her into being his champion. With her life on the line, Ren must try and kill the king before the three other champions do. The story ends with the death of the high king.
