'A group of witches gathers in the town of Tunston, on a simple undeveloped world far distant from our own. Magda, Tephee, Sylvia, and Leenan each have their own unique gifts of power. Witches are not trusted in this distant world, in which magic works but technology, which is associated with a widespread religious order referred to as "the Arc," is feeble. In the spring, a group of exiles arrives in Tunston. They bring news of the overthrow of King Armand of Tyne, deposed by his cousin with the aid of a witch, Zuleika Tallan. Discovering the deposed king is still alive, the witches decide to journey to Tyne. Meeting the injured king at last, Sylvia announces her intention to defeat Zuleika regardless of his wishes. King Armand is irresolute, and the mysterious enmity of the exiled captain of the castle guard with the king boils over and affects the group. Magda and her friends must work to overcome their own problems before the true king and his ragtag army are destroyed. On their journey they discover that one of them holds the key to ultimate victory, but will she learn to control her power in time to avert disaster? In the end, all that the witches can count on is their own inner strength - and each other.'
Source: Publisher's blurb.
'Magda and her three friends—also witches —are recovering from injuries sustained in a recent civil war. Sylvia seems to have lost her powers completely, and Leenan is stuck in the body of a dragon. Only Tephee is physically recovered, but she has changed in other ways. Confusion is added to the war’s aftermath by the arrival of Sebastian, an Arc priest who worships the space-faring founders of this world. He has reports of an “Arc vessel” which has crashed on Marin Kuta, an island off the west coast. Magda suspects the vessel may be a spaceship from Earth and determines to find it, seeking medical treatment for her injured friends. Marin Kuta was originally home to the Leylites, Earth-Mother worshippers who revere witches and are brutally persecuted by the Arc priests.
'Despite the danger, the witches decide to investigate. They are accompanied by Sebastian, who is convinced that Magda has been sent to heal the rift between the two religions, and Cadogan Ho, a Leylite refugee from Marin Kuta who is now sergeant of the Castle Guard. The witches meet with awe and love as they travel—but also with fear and hatred. And death.'
Source: Publisher's blurb.
