SLAVES OF THE MASTERY

The people of Aramanth have been enslaved by the army of the Mastery, led by Marius Ortiz. If they disobey their masters, a member of their community is burned in an iron cage before their eyes. Only Kestrel Hath, daughter of Ira and Hanno Hath, escapes the armies and rescues the silver voice from the burnt wind singer. Following the instinctive call of her twin brother Bowman across the desert, Kestrel meets Sisi, the spoilt Johdila engaged by her parents to Marius Ortiz. Kestrel becomes Sisi's closest friend and begins to open her eyes to another world. Bowman, who has been training his mind to move objects, has also caught the attention of Marius and has been engaged as his 'truth teller'. Their friend Mumpo has been perfecting the art of the killing dance of the Mastery, the manaxa, and finally kills the city's champion. In a whirlwind climax, Bowman comes face to face with the Master himself and the terrifying Morah is once again unleashed. The Hath family, and those that believe the words of the prophetess Ira Hath, leave the Mastery and begin a journey to the homeland.

William Nicholson was born in 1948 and received his early education at Downside School, a Roman Catholic monastic school set in the countryside near Bath. He went on to study English Literature at Christ's College, Cambridge, graduating with a double First Class degree in 1970. After leaving university, William joined BBC television, where he worked as a documentary film maker. It was not long before William's talent was channelled into writing for television dramas and his professional writing career took off. William is perhaps best known as an experienced and successful Hollywood screenwriter, whose credits include the BAFTA award-winning SHADOWLANDS and Oscar-winning GLADIATOR. Nicholson's first trilogy for young readers, The Wind on Fire, met with universal acclaim. Nicholson has won the Smarties Gold Award and the Blue Peter Book Award. He has been cited as one of the most gifted and imaginative writers alive in the world today. William lives in Sussex with his wife Virginia, and their three children.