Visions of Chaos

Aquitain is a streetwise city born merchant wizard with no wilderness skills that has been taught to run rather than fight. With the help of his druid friend, we follow how he uses a cunning mind coupled with charm, coercion, deception and illusion to gain confidence in himself and his new shape changing talent in a dangerous jungle environment. In contrast, Miranda his priestess companion is a pious loner with a love for the jungle and its creatures and an aversion to male wizards. At first she takes little interest in him but after saving his life she discovers they have a few things in common. They are both shape changers with strong willed mothers and both are searching for their missing fathers.
In book one of the trilogy, Visions of Chaos, they join forces to help Aquitain escape a bounty hunter following him but become involved in strange series of events involving mysterious little people, shamans, spirits, strange rituals, giant ants and a haunted magical mask. During these adventures they realize that they are pawns caught up in a deceptive mind game between powerful adversaries that might lead to the fulfillment of an ominous prophecy. Their quest to discover their roots ends up more a quest to survive dangerous situations while being manipulated by the powers through a crazy magical minefield of coercion, intrigue and deception that is littered with scraps of philosophy, magic strategy, tactics and the creative use of a ball of clay in delicate situations.
Through adversity, they are drawn together, pooling their diverse skills and talents, each becoming more dependent and deeply attracted to the other as the story progresses. Eventually they realize they fall for each other but are frustrated by a goddess of nature with a sense of humor and a magical tattoo placed on Miranda when she was a child that acts to keep her chaste. As both of the main characters can shape shift to various creatures, such as slimes, jungle cats, snakes, bears and eagles. The story has a Beauty and the Beast aspect but it is sometimes hard to work out who is the beauty and who is the beast. The story also explores the personal issues arising from their shape changing abilities and how these influence their thoughts, emotions, actions and relationship with each other and their friends.