STEADFAST

All’s not well in Captive’s Sound; the ancient evil Nadia and friends believed they’d vanquished has not only survived, their efforts have made it stronger than ever (Spellcaster, 2013).

Having seen Nadia’s powers, the One Beneath intends to claim her, and Elizabeth, His loyal servant, vows to bring Nadia to Him, at any cost. On Nadia’s side are her friends: Verlaine and Mateo, her Steadfast, who boosts her powers. After Nadia refuses to become her apprentice, Elizabeth—with chilling, casual indifference to consequences—proves how far she’ll go to change her mind. Nadia’s friends offer support, but Mateo’s handicapped by intensifying visions, a family curse, while Verlaine struggles to be seen at all. Among the few who notice her is Asa, Elizabeth’s demon, whose complexity deepens the story. Verlaine’s curse embodies every teen’s nightmare: to live unloved and unnoticed; her stubborn courage has a touching grace. As the series evolves, the rules of witchcraft and the beliefs of its practitioners are coming into focus, but intriguing mysteries remain. Witches and Steadfasts are always women, yet Mateo is a Steadfast and possibly more. Who and what constrained the One Beneath? What are Nadia and her allies willing to do, or refrain from doing, to stop Him?

The eternal conflict between ends and means keeps the tension taut and the plot humming. Stay tuned