To Light a Candle

To Light A Candle, the Obsidian Trilogy Bk 2

Even though it is lacking in the detailing of the battle scenes, and of the graphic killing and maiming, with its well thought out civilization of Elves and Centaurs, and its perfect conflict of Light against Dark and Wild Magic against High Magick, ?To Light A Candle? belongs in any and all fantasy reader?s library. I?m falling in love with Mercedes Lackey?s epic and highly satisfying second installment of the Obsidian Trilogy!
With the defeat of the Endarkened?s deception at the Black Cairn, Kellen is aware of how they prefer to operate, with glamour and temptation. He returns to Sentarshadeen with his hands destroyed. They are burned away from the bone. Because of his sacrifice, the drought is ended. However, it will be a while for the weather to return to its normal pattern. For the time, there?s flash flooding, and everyone is expecting a very hard winter. He also returns with one more surprise for the Elves, the half-demon and half-human Vestakia. Her Gift, the ability to sense Taint, is an asset to the Elven Army?s fight against the Dark, if they will look past her red demon skin and horns. Not only that, but Kellen is finding it hard to keep his vow of celibacy and chastity for a year and a day difficult when he is around Vestakia. Thankfully relieved of the embarrassment of explaining his avoidance, his sister Idalia tells Vestakia why.
The war is on its way to Armethalieh. Despite being Banished and Hunted, Kellen feels obligated to warn the human city. With Anigrel?s dark actions and poisonous voice in Lycaelon?s ear, he convinces the city deny the warning through its barriers and into the city. With Kellen no longer in need of a tutor, Anigrel puts himself right up Lycaelon?s Arch-Mage robes. By playing a successful game of politics, he is formally adopted by Lycaelon as his son and heir to House Tavadon and with such a high elevation, a raise in his title soon follows.
Undermage Anigrel is the secret agent of the Demon Queen Savilla. Because of his efforts with Lycaelon and the council, his Dark Lady and the Demons will be able to slip through the cracks in Armethalieh?s protective High Magick barrier and eat its magic.
Anigrel?s political play manages to have Cilarnen Banished, and other seats on the Council emptied, (murdered for being a traitor). A mystery manifests itself when Anigrel supposedly Burns out Cilarnen?s Gift, and it surprisingly returns to him with his first introduction and battle with a Demon.
The Elven Army?s discovery and fight against the Shadowed Elves is both good and bad. The Shadowed Elves were made by the Demons to distract them from their REAL objective, but what could that be.
The dragon Ancaladar, one of the last of his kind, is forced out of his home and hiding place by the fighting in the caverns. Fearful of being bonded, he is bonded to the Elven Knight Jermayan. Once bonded, Ancaladar dies when Jermayan?s life ends, forfeiting his long life. However, Ancaladar is an unlimited source for Jermayan?s magic.
The Crystal Spiders are discovered as creatures of the Light that aid the army in finding the other hidden conclaves of Shadowed Elves. Along with Vestakia?s Gift and combined with Ancaladar?s flying talent, the Elven Army stands a good chance of wiping out the Demon?s disturbing creative diversion.
Another problem complicating and filling the minds of Kellen and Idalia is the fact of an unpaid price. Kellen must forgive an enemy, and Idalia owes her life for her work in the defeat of the Black Cairn. Idalia is determined to keep this a secret to herself.
Kellen is further frustrated when he cannot get the Elves to listen to his advice. The Wild Magic shows him traps and feints that the Demons are using to distract them from their REAL objective. Even through fighting battles against the Shadowed Elves and Coldwargs, the Elves find it hard to break away from their long-standing tradition. They talk and discuss matters from all angles until they feel they fully understand the situation. Because of Kellen?s advice and actions in battle, he is earning his right as a Knight Mage to be heard. He is asked for in the army commanders? tent, even if they don?t always follow his advice.
Exhausted with his efforts in the Elven army council and his Knight Mage battles, Kellen?s impatience gets the better of him. He mutinies against Redhelwar?s direct orders to not scout and map the caverns. Fearful of the trap left for the army, that the Wild Magic shows him and of the high number of possible loses, Kellen is surprised to find out that the Unicorn Knights are willing to mutiny with him.
Queen Savilla is aware that it is only a matter of time before her son and lover Zyperis kills her and takes the throne as ruler. In the time of the Great War, it was Savilla who murdered her father, in order to rule the World Without Sun. Will she be able to exact her plan against the Light before her battle against Prince Zyperis, to keep the throne?
Cilarnen?s Banishment has become a thing of mystery, for when Anigrel Burned away his Gift, he gets terrible migraines that he only finds relief at the bottom of a bottle. Depressed about being a Mage without the ability to do magic, and with the reality check that Centaurs, Elves, and others are real, not a thing of wild tales to scare children into behaving for their parents. Cilarnen?s Gift returns with his first introduction to a Demon in the Centaur village. Why does it hurt him to be around Wild Mages? Now that he knows he can do High Magick, how can he without the proper tools and source?
Because Wild Mages from everywhere, Kellen the Knight Mage, and Cilarnen with his High Magick, they perform a great, magnificent, and dangerous spell that allows them to see into Armethalieh. It also lets Savilla attack the wildmages. With that, the working together of Wild Magic and High Magick delivers a powerful revelation for the army of Light.