R. R. Brooks Libri

In a world where men worships either Li, the god of order, or Dar, the god of chaos, the peasant boy Justi wields a flame, a Justice Power, to drive Dar's barbarians from the Zell. With age and peace, Justi's power seems to fade. When he marries Queen Mercerio, who holds gifts of mercy and healing, their royal children appear normal. Prince Meru is more the scholar than a future king, and Princess Danilla is beautiful and ungifted. That is no problem until their half sibling Justik, the child of Justi alone, appears, demanding recognition and threatening to use his inherited killing fire to get his way. Rebuffed, Justik joins forces with the enemy and fuels the second invasion. Unless the prince and princess find some inherited gifts and learn how to use them, the Zellish face new conquest, enslavement, and death. Meru and Danilla must rely on their wits and a mysterious spirit guardian to discover the power to repel an army, overcome treachery, and survive a monster. Only then can new bonds of love emerge to create long-lasting peace.

Barbarians, bringing death and slavery, invade and all but destroy the Kingdom of Zell. The only hope for the people's salvation lies with a young peasant boy. Gifted with a sense of justice by the god Li, this child, named Justi, will grow to be a young man blessed with the power to save the kingdom, meanwhile cursed with a power to kill-a power beyond his control. The prophecy of this wounded land has foretold of Justi's coming and his meeting with another of the gifted, a young and beautiful girl his age who carries a great secret. But those who stop at nothing, influenced by the dark power of Dar, use kidnapping, assassination, and seduction to block their union and prevent them from fulfilling their destiny. With help from many Zellish, Justi must use powers at his command to avert disaster and to face the one fear that has haunted him: killing an innocent.