The Wordless Path Book 1

Fifteen-year-old Torin Valaran has never known beyond Brighthollow. In the isolated village, aether is thin, and magic belongs to a single healer, travelers, and people with training he has never had. But when Torin is in danger, something inside him answers on its own. He does not speak a spell or understand what he is doing. The power simply is. Then it becomes harder to ignore, especially after a burst of silver-white force saves several lives and leaves Torin wondering what might happen the next time it breaks free. When a devastating flood kills a man Torin desperately tried to save, he leaves Brighthollow with his grief, a strange family token, and the hope that somewhere beyond the village he can uncover the truth about his missing parents and the power inside him.The journey east shows Torin how little he understands about the wider world. He encounters unfamiliar people and new forms of magic, survives a bandit ambush, and is forced to kill for the first time. With every step, it becomes clearer that his abilities do not work the way anyone else’s do—and that having power does not make knowing how to use it any easier. When he finally reaches Coraveth, the Academy’s seven towers offer the first real chance he has had to find answers, learn control, and build a life beyond Brighthollow. But the term has already begun, his parents’ past is still buried, and there is no guarantee the Academy will accept him.