The Casting

At twelve, Robyn must choose her future path before her coming-of-age ceremony at Samhaim. The most obvious choices open to a Celtic girl are healing, midwifery or farming, none of which appeal to Robyn. Instead, Robyn yearns for roaring fires, red-hot crucibles full of molten bronze, and the old warrior ways of her father. What Robyn doesn't know is that choosing to be a bronze caster is the easy part; becoming one will be the challenge of her life. Many obstacles stand in her way, especially Gilhey, her older sister's betrothed, and her father's most arrogant student. Gilhey uses his position to manipulate Robyn's family, convinces her sister, Lianna to shun Robyn, which causes a deep rift between the sisters. Robyn's life changes forever when on the day she must pour a most sacred dagger for the high Celtic druid priestess, a dangerous spill that everyone thinks she is responsible for, sets fire to the foundry, burning it to the ground, causing great injury to her father. Unable to face the consequences, Robyn runs away. Gilhey uses this opportunity to promote his position in the foundry and with Lianna. As he tries to get rid of Robyn for good, using his own long-lost father, to kidnap her. An unexpected alliance with another bronze apprentice, who just happens to be Gilhey's brother, keeps Robyn going after she makes her way back to her village only to find she must leave again, to search for a hidden cache of ore needed to complete the sacred dagger. Robyn's journey brings her full-circle and ends in her fighting to the death with Gilhey over the cache of ore. As Robyn grows and changes, she finds it within herself to overcome Gilhey, forgive her sister, stand up to adversity, and to accept herself for who and what she is: a bronze caster with responsibilities, a girl learning her trade, a life just beginning.