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Legend of Caemeris: Ascendant's Tear by Clare L. Rolfe

In a land called Argelthium, in a remote cave guarded by sacred stone figures, an ancient spirit comes to life, clawing upward from the earthen prison that has held him since the beginning of time. He is Baachelaus, the Descendant, spirit of the unknown. Instead of bringing peace to the desert tribes that worship him, he brings death and destruction.

Legend of Caemeris: Ascendant’s Tear by Clare L. Rolfe is an epic fantasy of otherworldly beings and spirits and a creation myth of adventure and intrigue.

The story’s protagonists include Bensah, an elderly trader who returns to his village after a long journey accompanied by Nekoda, a fierce wild dog/hyena crossbreed. When Ange, the crippled daughter of Bensah’s good friend, is attacked by village bullies, Nekoda protects her and drives them away.

THE MYSTERIOUS AND BEAUTIFUL PROTECTOR OF MORTALS

As Ange lies beaten and in tears, a beautiful woman appears to her and tells the girl she is in danger. “Something seeks you, Ange, your blood is from the ancients of the earth, and it is this life force within you that is precious. This creature will bring death in its wake and swallow all that is beautiful and good in this world.” Ange must make a journey of nine days to a sacred grove of trees and wait there for the mysterious woman. 

The woman is a spirit called Assumpta, the Ascendant, protector of the “clay born” mortals and the yin to Baachelaus’ yang. 

Assumpta also appears before Gildas Gol of the Graan, chieftain of the northern reaches, who carries a heavy burden of grief and guilt for a tragedy of his own doing. As he lies close to death in a prison cell, Assumpta commands him to escape and travel to the sacred grove. 

Meanwhile, the assassin Sa Tuc leaves the palace of the emperor on a mission to locate the iron ore needed to make stronger weapons. She’s also told to investigate any treachery in the adjoining kingdoms that seek to usurp the emperor’s power and control the source of the ore.

ADVENTURE BRIMMING WITH SYMBOLISM AND FANTASTIC CREATURES

As the paths of these adventurers lead to the sacred grove, primal forces of nature swirl around them. Readers who like their books brimming with symbolism and fantastic creatures will find a panoply here: Lido, the water custodian that protects the clay born; Uchala, the sentinel spider; Vipax, the sentinel serpent; Norbu, the Elder of Creation; and Voloc, the Dark Custodian, a shapeshifting wolf that guards Baachelus. 

Assumpta has called them all together for a reason. There’s a sacred prism made of her own tears that’s hidden in a monastery, and Baachelus will stop at nothing to find it — including full-on war and destruction — so he can seize control of its powers. And the adventurers are ancestors of the first tribes of Argelthium, who had sworn to protect the prism. But there’s treachery afoot closer at hand than any of our heroes suspect.

Ascendant’s Tear will appeal to fantasy readers looking for a tale with plentiful and varied characters, adventure, subterfuge and whole civilizations at stake. With its poetic prose and imaginative worldmaking, this is a book you’ll want to wander through instead of binge.


Ascendant’s Tear is available for purchase at the retailers listed below; Amazon is currently running a sale on the book for a limited time.

Legend of Caemeris: Ascendant's Tear by Clare L. Rolfe
Genre: Fiction
Author: Clare L. Rolfe
Joanna Poncavage

Joanna Poncavage had a 30-year career as an editor and writer for Rodale’s Organic Gardening magazine and The (Allentown, Pennsylvania) Morning Call newspaper. Author of several gardening books, she’s now a freelance journalist.

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