Shade and Sorceress : The Last Days of Tian Di

The powerful and learned Mancers arrive in Eliza's town to take her away to their Citadel. The only problem is they have made a terrible mistake – Eliza isn't the powerful Sorceress they think her to be. Or is she? Eliza is stunned to learn her father, Rom Tok, has been keeping important secrets: her mother's death wasn't from pneumonia, but the death of all great Shang Sorceresses: killed in battle against evil forces. Even so, Eliza's lessons with the Mancers at their Citadel show them what she has always known – she can't do any magic. The final brave act of Eliza's mother was to trap the evil Xia Sorceress, Nia, in an Arctic prison. But Nia is still powerful enough to use her minions to capture Rom Tok. Escaping the Citadel with her best friend Nell and new friend Charlie, Eliza sets off to rescue her father. They seek help from the Triumvirate, an uneasy alliance of ultimate power – the Oracle, the King of the Faeries, and Swarn, the witch who delivered Eliza as a baby. They try to stop her, but she is determined. She knows she's connected to the Xia Sorceress somehow. What awaits Eliza in the Arctic is more horrible than she could have imagined. Abandoned by the Mancers and the Triumvirate, she must rely on her friends and her own wits and common sense to succeed in her quest. Shade and Sorceress is Catherine Egan's first published novel. Her short fiction has appeared in several publications in the USA and Canada. Catherine currently resides in Princeton, NJ. Twelve-year-old Eliza is amazed to discover she is the Shang Sorceress — because no matter what everyone thinks, she really can't do any magic. Eliza knows for certain what she isn't: the powerful Sorceress the learned Mancers think her to be. Or is she? Eliza is stunned to learn her father has been keeping important secrets. Her mother's death wasn't from pneumonia, but the death of all great Shang Sorceresses: killed in battle against evil forces. Even so, Eliza's lessons with the Mancers at their Citadel prove to them what she has always known – she can't do any magic. The final brave act of Eliza's mother was to trap the evil Xia Sorceress in an Arctic prison. But the witch is still strong enough to use her minions to capture Eliza's father. Escaping the Citadel with her best friend Nell and new friend Charlie, Eliza sets off to rescue him. They seek help from the Triumvirate, an uneasy alliance of ultimate power – the Oracle, the King of the Faeries, and Swarn, the witch who delivered Eliza as a baby. They try to stop her, but she is determined. She knows she's connected to the Xia Sorceress somehow. What awaits Eliza in the Arctic prison is worse than she could have imagined. Abandoned by the Mancers and the Triumvirate, she must rely on her friends and her own wits and common sense to succeed in her quest and find what she is destined to become "In spite of the Mancers' beliefs, in spite of the efforts of her kindly teacher Foss, and in spite of her portrait mysteriously appearing in the gallery of great Shang Soceresses, Eliza knows one thing for sure: she can't do magic. The evil Xia Soceress is gaining power, and Eliza is the last hope for the world of Di Shang. But how can she possibly succeed with no powers of her own? Will the Mancers help? Or will Eliza and her friends Charlie and Nell really face their world's greatest evil alone?"--Page 4 of cover