Alwyn's Empire, Book 1: The Grimoire

The Empire: an idyllic land of high mountains and fertile plains enclosed by a hundred-foot-high impenetrable wall; what lies outside this wall is unknown. Lord Alwyn Falconus, a wealthy antiquities dealer and Master of Castle FalconKeep, discovers a sheet of weathered parchment which appears to have been written before the founding of the empire. The parchment is encrypted, but a historian suggests that it's a page torn from a "grimoire"--a book of magick as described in ancient myths and legends. Alwyn and his young wife Elspeth vow to find and decipher the grimoire, but they are not the only ones who wish to unlock its secrets: the evil Lord Refa has visions of usurping the throne, and he hopes that magick will give him the power he needs. Book One of the series will be followed by Book Two: The Mirrorworld.