Magical, Mystical Tour: A Look Inside A Prince from the Shadows

Today the spotlight is on the book A Prince from the Shadows by J.Curtis Mace, as he stops by as part of his Blog Tour.

He's bringing with him a post detailing the fascinating background on the magic of the world inside A Prince from the Shadows, and a giveaway of a PDF copy of his book and some digital character art to one lucky commenter :

 The Myst

The magic of Erthlynd is called the Myst. This is the force of energy that surrounds and permeates everything. It can be moved and manipulated and even seen, but only by someone with a gift for the art. True mystics can harness this energy. They and use their own energy and even cast it out from themselves. It can also be combined with elemental magic (and other ancient strengths) and moved to a greater effect.

Before the breaking of the Old World and the "coming apart of all things," this Myst was contained in core of the great earthstone and only touched the world indirectly. Still, men abused the power and everything around them to know end, until the planet destroyed itself to be free of them.

And with the breaking, the Myst was set free. 

Of course, there was no one to use (or abuse) this magic, no life left to benefit from it. The great destruction erased even the memory of living things. But the Myst is the energy of everything, and it never dies. The deepest magic remained, and eventually it brought about another change.

It took a countless age for the Myst to manifest itself again. But life was eventually given a second chance. 

On the barren surface of the stone that would later become Erthlynd, a small flame appeared. Flaring blue at first then green with it and then red, this fire was the raw manifestation of the Myst burning in its purest form. These Fyres of Creation, the Incyn Vi'Ari, were literally the spark of life and the catalyst for living things brought back into the world. 

Of course, Man tried to control this fire and its elder magic and take it for their own.

The Incyn Vi'Ari ended the First War by changing the face of Erthlynd again to protect itself from Man's lust for power. Closed off from the world by the Genesys Mountains, the power of the Myst housed beneath the base of Ilsfore's Peak, still touches the world directly, but it's protected by the surrounding stone and by the fabled few who swore oaths to protect it.

The hands of Man can no longer touch the flame and the power of the Myst within, but those with the gift can manipulate the Myst and move it at their will. 

These are mystics, and Jeodyn is one of them.

In the East, the art of mystic manipulation was lost and forgotten. Those with the gift were/are looked down on as witches and evil men. In West though, the Myst was embraced. Vallyn, Jeodyn's first forefather, brought the study of the art with him into the West, and for a long time it flourished. The Blood of Vallyn was known from its beginning as a line of mystic kings, until one king without the gift took the throne. There had been others to carry Vallyn's blood and not his passion for the Myst, but this last king's pride and insecurity got the better of him, and he banished the practice, forcing it underground. 

With the practice banned, those who studied the Myst were forced into hiding. They banned together to form the Brothers of Sodal, and they studied the Myst in secret. They were a close-knit of group of brothers who vowed to never let Vallyn's teachings die. It was always understood that one should know the Myst and study and keep it, so that they may keep it safe from those who would abuse it. This promise kept the mystic art alive in Vallynhelm. 

When my story starts, the art of mystic manipulation has been banned for generations. Jeodyn is the first of the Royal line to be accepted as one of the Brothers of Sodal. His friend Leye is a very strong mystic, who would only take their offer to join if they took him.

The Brothers have their traditions, and a young mystic's seeking is one of their oldest. Earning a beard and dreadlocks during the year alone in the wild is another, though it's now custom to shave them before coming home (Jeodyn decides to keep them as tribute to the old ways). He spent all year in seclusion studying his art and realizing his talent.

Jeodyn can move objects by focusing on the energy surrounding them, he can even break them apart. Focusing on the energy of the Myst inside him (which is very strong, the strongest since Vallyn himself, though Jeodyn doesn't know it yet), he can cast his Myst as a punch or a strike, as an extension of himself. He's learning to channel it, and he even has the opportunity to use his own strength with another magic just as powerful and just as old as the Myst.

With the new incarnation of an ancient darkness now gunning for his family, Jeodyn's gonna need every bit of the strength he possesses and then some to keep his family safe. He knows his greatest power is rooted in the royal blood he shares with his namesake (Vallyn), and he knows he must use everything he can to keep that bloodline unbroken.

A Prince from the Shadows

A reluctant prince, determined to be a better man than his father, the king, has ever been, Jeodyn spent his last year in the wild, secretly studying the banned art of manipulating the Myst. Returning home, he knows he'll have to face his king's wrath and his mother's worry. But what Jeodyn finds with his younger sister is completely unexpected: Jynn has become dark and distant of late and has committed herself to a lover whose sinister demeanor personifies her own rebellion perfectly. No one realizes just how dark Jynn's heart has turned though or how deeply she's fallen, until she disappears.
Now, everything Jeodyn has learned and everything he's ever known about himself will be tested, when he sets out to do what his father should but never will: defend their family. Convinced Jynn will only leave again if they force her back, King Thayne gives the order that no one is to follow after her. So, to keep the promise he makes to his mother, Jeodyn must leave out alone to face the creature of darkness that has taken his sister.
Noirlok was born a man of Vallynhelm, but he lost his love and his life to the throne he swore to protect. Now, he has sworn revenge. To him, Jynn is that vengeance he's wanted for so long and the face of the love he'd for so long been without, and he takes her as his own. With the dark legion of shadowmen known as Shadorym behind him and the night at his command, Noirlok is ready to use all his power to keep what is his.
When Jeodyn ventures into the darkness of the ShadowLands to face Noirlok and take Jynn back, the fight to defend what they all have at stake begins.
A Prince from the Shadows is Book One in the series, Heroes and Flame, Blood and Myst.

The book is available from Lulu.com and Apple

About the Author:

J.Curtis Mace was born in Baltimore, MD, lived in Colonial Beach, VA, then North Hartford, MD and moved to Caroline County to in the ninth grade.  He graduated from CHS, class of ’96.  He's lived in Richmond, VA ever since (except for brief stints in Abilene, TX and Venice, CA).

He's married, he and his wife Heather have three children, and a dog.  He loves writing, art, and telling stories. Sharing them with the world is a new thing for him, but he's quickly learning how much he loves that too.