The Circle Universe

The Circle Universe

Both the 'Circle of Magic' and the 'Circle Opens' series are set in the land of Emelan. The story of four children, Sandrilene fa Toren, Trisana Chandler, Daja Kisubo and Briar Moss, who are discovered by a powerful mage Niko and told that they are "ambient mages," which means that they use magic from outside themselves. The four youths do not fit in with the other children, and are put together in a cottage. They each learn of their hidden talents; Sandry with thread, Tris with weather, Daja with fire and metal, and Briar with plants. They live with the two mages Lark, a gentle woman especially attentive to Sandry since she also has thread magic, and Rosethorn, a sharp woman who shares Briar's ability with plants. Also teaching and guiding them is Niko, technically Tris's teacher, but available to all four. Daja is mentored and guided by Dedicate Initiate Frostpine, a local smith mage. Their teachers are also ambient mages. At first it seems that a merchant, a street rat, a noblewoman, and a Trader (a trading race that is often hated by others) will never get along, but an extraordinary circumstance brings them together. They are all powerful individually, but they discover that together they are even stronger. Through an earthquake, they realize their full potential and are bound closely together forever. As children skilled in an uncommon magic, they struggle to earn the respect of the adults they encounter.