Power's Price - James Kirkham - Bog

In a kingdom of wizards and warriors, where the agents of magic are fiercely divided into two camps, fortunes are hard won and death is a way of life. Working to perfect their crafts, each group of wizards seeks a different goal. The white-robed remember the great Wizard's War; when the world was nearly destroyed. They remain withdrawn in their towers, and have little to do with the outside world. In their Black towers, the dark-robed plot arrogantly and cruelly against each other and seek to perfect their deadly skills. Within the ranks of the dark-wizards there are none who would challenge Zartho the Great. He has discovered a way to seize all power, not only from the rest of the dark-robes, but from the white-robes and the king as well. His plan centers on a small, gold, innocent looking statue, bursting with power. His problem is; someone stole the statue. Within the ranks of the white-wizards none is more respected or powerful than Dalryms Bok-Salrin, head of the white tower in Thosh and personal advisor to the king. He helps to maintain order within the realm. His problem is; he knows about the statue and the immense power it holds. He also knows the dark-robes have it. Within the ranks of the king's spies/assassins Malak was one of the all-time greatest. He is the only one to get away with "retiring" himself and is in hiding far from the capitol. His problem is; he stole the statue, and is now fleeing for his life. Accompanied by Lena, the daughter of his only friend, Malak sets out to discover what the dark-robes are planning and stop them. Along the way he discovers that Lena has been secretly, and illegally trained in some of the magical arts. He also learns the price that must be paid in exchange for power...