WIND FROM A FOREIGN SKY

Hundreds of years ago, Prince Clarin of Tielmark made a pact with the land's patron goddesses, the Great Twins, that he and his heirs would marry only commoners; in return, the goddesses guaranteed Tielmark's independence from its powerful northern neighbor, the Bissanty Empire. Now, Tielmark's ruthless, part- Bissanty Chancellor, Heiratikus, has ensorcelled Prince Benet to do his bidding. If Heiratikus can force the young witch Mervion to marry Benet—her magic powers derive from the gods, so she isn't a commoner—not only will Tielmark become vulnerable to Bissanty, but Heiratikus will acquire all Mervion's magic. Mervion's equally magical twin sister, however—the huntress Gaultry—remains at large. Protected by a warrior with a magic blade, Gaultry attempts to awaken her own powerful Glamor magic while scheming to rescue poor Mervion. Still, Heiratikus finally captures Gaultry, who to her horror finds that Mervion has slipped so far under the Chancellor's control that she's no longer capable of resisting. Somehow, alone, Gaultry must save herself, her sister, and Tielmark. After that dubious initial setup, the plot articulates pleasingly enough. And though Reimann demonstrates no great originality, the narrative moves with a certain long-legged, coltish charm: a modestly encouraging debut.