The Shequanti
The World of the Shequanti
The Shequanti are a race similar to humans who live on a world parallel to our own. It's a world of magic, tied to our own by the magic of the Druids. There are several places in this world where the distance between them can be bridged.
One of them is in North Carolina.
Shequanti are taller than humans, males reaching heights of 7 feet and women just a little smaller. Their lifespan is 200-250 years. In other words, they parallel our modern concept of Elves. There is a definite link between them and the Fair Folk of Celtic lore. They have an extremely structured society, patriarchal in nature, with an established royal line. There is, however, a great deal of dissension among the Shequanti. Factions have developed politically that have cast the kingdom into turmoil.
At the heart of this dissension lie the humans. There are humans on the Shequanti world called the Numeni. Legend has it that when the Druids were driven out of England, they crossed to Shequanti. The two races have been at war ever since. As a result, a segment of the Shequanti is extremely prejudiced against humans.
The heart of this conflict is exposed within the mages of Shequanti. Most of the mages are male. When the worlds were closer together, the Shequanti mages discovered that if they formed an emotional bond with a human their power increased. Since that time, Shequanti mages in quest of greater power have summoned humans to their world using the old monuments of power. That bond is enhanced through sexual interaction.
The Characters
Boy, oh boy, do I like the dudes in this one! Kate is a pretty cool heroine -- she's smart, smart-alec, and curses like a sailor.
The men, though. Dang.
Briason is the first Shequanti she meets. He's beyond the strong, silent type. Strong, yes. Silent, not really. Kate is bowled over not only by his face (hunkydelicious) but also by his protectiveness and vulnerability. He's been tortured in the past, his body lined with old scars, but his face more than makes up for that.
Then there's Abaus. Abaus is Briason's cousin, and the strongest mage of Shequanti. It is he that summons Kate through the stone table, thinking to use her to increase his magical powers. In the process of persuading her, he exhibits a strange, magical seductive power that knocks Kate off her feet.
And where is Kate in all of this? Right where you'd expect her to be--smack dab in the middle. However, the Shequanti men will discover that Kate is not exactly what she seems. Her power is not latent, like that of most humans. Her power is very much in evidence.
And very dangerous.
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