Bearers of Light, Book 1: Dark Mage

Dark Mage is a fantasy set in a world similar to Victoria’s England. Three gifted young people: Malin (18), endowed with earth speak; his cousin Karis (17), a light weaver; and Myrrha (16), a magically gifted mistress of sound; are drawn together in the town of Godsel to fight against a dark Mage. The Mage has shadowed Karis since his 8th birthday.
The first young person, Malin, is accompanied by a young wolf with whom he can communicate directly mind to mind. His wolf can shape-shift into a nightmare creature, one that is huge and black, called a gytrash.
At his father’s request, Malin must move to town from the old tower fortress where he has been assisting with the training of Godsel’s young men (14-18) in case the war finds its way south to them. His father, regent for the area, has requested Malin’s help against the kidnapping forays of southern riders. New to town, Malin will have to learn the ways and complex manners of society. However, he will have help. He will live with Basil, a scholar and society expert, and his wolf companion, Rilse, will come with him.
The second young person, Karis, cousin to Malin, can use light to sense the presence of magic, make replicas of people, or enter the spirit walks to far-see. He comes south to Godsel to flee a dark Mage, whose power seems to have grown immensely and who has almost assimilated Karis on several occasions. Karis’ hope is that in Godsel he will be safe from the black wizard. However, his personal private hope is that he will be called to pass magically through the Fire Gate to another world, where he will find the City of Light and be forever out of the reach of the dark Mage.
The third young person is Myrrha. Stranded by a flooding river in a primitive society at a young age, with a mother who no longer is really conscious of her surroundings, she has to make her own way. She poses as a young minstrel (male), and she survives many hardships through her music, including a witch hunt. Her dreams draw her south to Godsel and to the scholar Basil. North of Godsel, in Mythro, she has met Karis’ twin, Lon, and has an important connection to him. But she does not know he is a twin. When she meets Karis, she mistakes him for Lon, though her heart can’t accept what her eyes see.
On the eve of Malin’s sister’s coming out party, that is held aboard ship in Godsel harbor, the Mage makes an all out effort to capture Karis in order to assimilate his mind and take over his physical body. Myrrha, Malin and Rilse combine forces to try to defeat the Mage.