Garum and Vayin are the children of Rhatlan, conceived by their mother after she prayed to Rhatlan, the God of duals, in desperation for a child. Garum and Vayin are dual, a strange fusion of two people, brother and sister, in one shared body. Duals are feared by most people and often hanged because they are considered to be evil.

Garum and Vayin’s parents keep their dual personality secret from the world to protect them from the world at large, but the brother and sister are becoming bored with their quiet life in the village and want to seek the excitement of the city. They take a chance and decide to spend a week in the city against their parent’s wishes. Their adventures begin when Vayin is caught stealing a ring form a local trader in the city marketplace. She is saved from arrest by a mysterious woman named Jevya who takes them to her home. As they come to befriend Jevya, they realize that she recognizes their duality and, unlike the other cityfolk, understands it. From Jevya they begin to learn dual magic spells that can help protect them.

Before long the siblings meet Jevya’s evil bother Paterun and become his target. Paterun wears evil claws that imbue him with the longevity of anyone he kills. But the souls of his victims also rage in his mind, torturing him. Paterun attempts to persuade and then force the dual sibling to fuse with him so that he can use their duality to perform powerful magic and quell the mental rantings of his victims. To thwart his plans, Jevya sacrifices her own life so that she may control Paterun’s actions from inside his mind, and protect Garum and Vayin.

The duals enlist the help of a city guard, an apprentice wizard and a healer as they run from Paterun. They make friends and enemies along their journey and find love and heartbreak. Ultimately they must use the power of an ancient magic staff to destroy Paterun and gain their freedom.

Fesmire is on of the most creative fantasy authors writing today. He has the ability to bring new and fascinating concepts that transcend the boundaries of this genre. This novel is a rare feat of imagination.