Oaths of Light

Thirteen years ago, the war between the kingdoms of Elme and Meadran concluded — with Meadran as the decisive victor. In response to the devastation of the conflict and the dangers magic had demonstrated, Meadran outlawed the use of magic outside strictly defined boundaries and forbade access to the old battlefields. Each year, every person in the kingdom must present themselves at the capital on their seventeenth birthday for the Oaths of Light ceremony — swearing allegiance and being tested for magical ability. Those found to carry magic are offered positions working for the kingdom, which is considered a great distinction. Everyone else returns home. Eden's seventeenth birthday is approaching. She has been summoned to the capital. Before she departs, the village hunters report agitated wildlife and unexplained activity in the surrounding woods — and she finds herself drawn into an investigation that will pull much more than a simple ceremony into the light.