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Wars of Light and Shadow
Reins of Destiny
A prequel short story set at the start of the uprising that dethroned the High King of Havish.
Familiarity with at least one volume in the Wars of Light and Shadows series is suggested as background to grasp the full impact, and for best appreciation read Reins of Destiny anytime in Arc III, Alliance of Light.
Originally printed in The Solaris Book of New Fantasy, also available as standalone in both Kindle and ebook formats on the Author's website.
Familiarity with at least one volume in the Wars of Light and Shadows series is suggested as background to grasp the full impact, and for best appreciation read Reins of Destiny anytime in Arc III, Alliance of Light.
Originally printed in The Solaris Book of New Fantasy, also available as standalone in both Kindle and ebook formats on the Author's website.
- GenresFantasy
25 pages, ebook
First published November 27, 2007
341 people want to read
About the author
Janny Wurts
106 books1,934 followersJanny Wurts is the author of War of Light and Shadow series, and To Ride Hell's Chasm. Her eighteen published titles include a trilogy in audio, a short story collection, as well as the internationally best selling Empire trilogy, co authored with Raymond E. Feist, with works translated into fifteen languages worldwide. Her latest title in the Wars of Light and Shadow series, Destiny's Conflict, culminates more than thirty years of carefully evolved ideas. The cover images on the books, both in the US and abroad, are her own paintings, depicting her vision of characters and setting.
Through her combined talents as a writer/illustrator, Janny has immersed herself in a lifelong ambition: to create a seamless interface between words and pictures that will lead reader and viewer into the imagination. Her lavish use of language invites the mind into a crafted realm of experience, with characters and events woven into a complex tapestry, and drawn with an intensity to inspire active fuel for thought. Her research includes a range of direct experience, lending her fantasy a gritty realism, and her scenes involving magic crafted with intricate continuity. A self-taught painter, she draws directly from the imagination, creating scenes in a representational style that blurs the edges between dream and reality. She makes few preliminary sketches, but envisions her characters and the scenes that contain them, then executes the final directly from the initial pencil drawing.
The seed idea for the Wars of Light and Shadow series occurred, when, in the course of researching tactic and weapons, she viewed a documentary film on the Battle of Culloden Moor. This was the first time she had encountered that historical context of that brutal event, with the embroidery of romance stripped from it. The experience gave rise to an awakening, which became anger, that so often, our education, literature and entertainment slant history in a manner that equates winners and losers with moral right and wrong, and the prevalent attitude, that killing wars can be seen as justifiable solutions when only one side of the picture is presented.
Her series takes the stance that there are two sides to every question, and follows two characters who are half brothers. One a bard trained as a master of magecraft, and the other a born ruler with a charismatic passion for justice, have become cursed to lifelong enmity. As one sibling raises a devoted mass following, the other tries desperately to stave off defeat through solitary discipline and cleverness. The conflict sweeps across an imaginary world, dividing land and people through an intricate play of politics and the inborn prejudices of polarized factions already set at odds. Readers are led on a journey that embraces both viewpoints. The story explores the ironies of morality which often confound our own human condition - that what appears right and just, by one side, becomes reprehensible when seen from the opposite angle. What is apparently good for the many, too often causes devastating suffering to the nonconformist minority. Through the interactions between the characters themselves, the reader is left to their own discretion to interpret the moral impact of events.
Says Janny of her work, "I chose to frame this story against a backdrop of fantasy because I could handle even the most sensitive issues with the gloves off - explore the myriad angles of our troubled times with the least risk of offending anyone's personal sensibilities. The result, I can hope, is an expanding journey of the spirit that explores the grand depths, and rises to the challenge of mapping the ethereal potential of an evolving planetary consciousness... explore free thought and compassionate understanding."
Beyond writing, Janny's award winning paintings have been showcased in exhibitions of imaginative artwork, among them a commemorative exhibition for NASA's 25th Anniversary; the Art of the Cosmos at Hayden Planet
Through her combined talents as a writer/illustrator, Janny has immersed herself in a lifelong ambition: to create a seamless interface between words and pictures that will lead reader and viewer into the imagination. Her lavish use of language invites the mind into a crafted realm of experience, with characters and events woven into a complex tapestry, and drawn with an intensity to inspire active fuel for thought. Her research includes a range of direct experience, lending her fantasy a gritty realism, and her scenes involving magic crafted with intricate continuity. A self-taught painter, she draws directly from the imagination, creating scenes in a representational style that blurs the edges between dream and reality. She makes few preliminary sketches, but envisions her characters and the scenes that contain them, then executes the final directly from the initial pencil drawing.
The seed idea for the Wars of Light and Shadow series occurred, when, in the course of researching tactic and weapons, she viewed a documentary film on the Battle of Culloden Moor. This was the first time she had encountered that historical context of that brutal event, with the embroidery of romance stripped from it. The experience gave rise to an awakening, which became anger, that so often, our education, literature and entertainment slant history in a manner that equates winners and losers with moral right and wrong, and the prevalent attitude, that killing wars can be seen as justifiable solutions when only one side of the picture is presented.
Her series takes the stance that there are two sides to every question, and follows two characters who are half brothers. One a bard trained as a master of magecraft, and the other a born ruler with a charismatic passion for justice, have become cursed to lifelong enmity. As one sibling raises a devoted mass following, the other tries desperately to stave off defeat through solitary discipline and cleverness. The conflict sweeps across an imaginary world, dividing land and people through an intricate play of politics and the inborn prejudices of polarized factions already set at odds. Readers are led on a journey that embraces both viewpoints. The story explores the ironies of morality which often confound our own human condition - that what appears right and just, by one side, becomes reprehensible when seen from the opposite angle. What is apparently good for the many, too often causes devastating suffering to the nonconformist minority. Through the interactions between the characters themselves, the reader is left to their own discretion to interpret the moral impact of events.
Says Janny of her work, "I chose to frame this story against a backdrop of fantasy because I could handle even the most sensitive issues with the gloves off - explore the myriad angles of our troubled times with the least risk of offending anyone's personal sensibilities. The result, I can hope, is an expanding journey of the spirit that explores the grand depths, and rises to the challenge of mapping the ethereal potential of an evolving planetary consciousness... explore free thought and compassionate understanding."
Beyond writing, Janny's award winning paintings have been showcased in exhibitions of imaginative artwork, among them a commemorative exhibition for NASA's 25th Anniversary; the Art of the Cosmos at Hayden Planet
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 4, 2023
This story is available exclusively on the author's website: https://www.paravia.com/JannyWurts/bo...
"The fate of a land and the history of a people are not always determined by the confident hands of the great."
And so, a stablemaster is drawn into a web of conspiracy, when a king's messenger arrives, demanding horses. What the stablemaster learns, the messenger's seeking of redemption, and the actions of the stablemaster in trying to preserve a royal line, will play a pivotal role in the fight against the Mistwraith, the great sinister foggy being that has assailed the skies, and blotted out daylight in the world of Athera.
The poignant short story of 25 pages, "Reins of Destiny", set in the world of Janny Wurts' seminal series, the "Wars of Light and Shadow", takes us back to year 5018 of the Third Age, and introduces us to Kayjon sen'Davvis. Kayjon is a townborn man, and master of horse, just outside the city of Telmandir.
Telmandir, located in the principality of Lithmere, is the former capital of the High Kings of Havinsh. Telmandir is also a place with magical implications, as it was once a place where the mythical Paravians - the ancient semi-mortal races who once dominated Athera.
Kayjon has earned a reputation as a man of utter impartiality and fair-handedness, and also as a peerless horsemaster, perhaps the greatest master of all things equine in the land. He's stayed as a casual and detached, even lazy observer of the growing revolt, removed from the impending uprising.
"If some voices claimed the High King and the Sorcerers were milking the towns that upheld the realm, Kavyon never took sides. He yawned through the rebellious talk and shrill fears, even as the Fellowship Sorceres summoned the cream of five kingdoms to bolster their warding defense. Clear nights, when their uncanny bolts of raised power streaked the southern horizon, Kayjon sipped his usual tankard of beer."
One day, Kayjon's rest and leisure is interrupted by the appearance of a clanborn messenger from the king, who bears a royal writ, demanding eleven horses. Kayjon agrees to obey the writ, but insists on accompanying the messenger with the horses, though the messenger disapproves.
For, Kayjon suspects that a revolution has attempted to unseat the High King, and the writ he has received is fraudulent.
Even though this story is only a quarter of a 100 pages in length, it comes with all the trademark magnificence of a Janny Wurts work. This grandeur begins with outstanding character work.
The unnamed clanborn messenger, and the townborn Kayjon are the two protagonists of this story, and they are contrasted very well. They are from opposing sides of what evolves into a long-standing and bitter rivalry, born largely of misunderstanding, elitism, and prejudice, that escalates throughout the following centuries between clanborn and townborn.
Throughout the main "Wars of Light and Shadow" series, and the other short stories associated with Athera, Wurts elaborates on the origins of this feud of two very different perspectives, and how it continues to burn, costing the lives of hundreds of thousands through the many years.
The alienation of clanborn and townborn, protracted and seemingly without end, brought on by the deprivation the humans of Athera have experienced due to being robbed of the grace of the Paravians, looks hopeless.
Yet seeing the relationship between Kavjon and the clansman herald grow from the typical disdain, mistrust and suspicion, to one of greater comprehension, is encouraging for the future of the mortal races of Athera, uniting together one day under a common cause, free of rash judgement, bigotry, and lack of true discernment.
That is perhaps the main theme of the story: how even the most diametrically opposed factions can come together, and change the course of history, putting aside old arguments, for the greater good. Wurts always gives the readers optimism to hold onto, along with the bleakness and tragedy portrayed in her works, and "Reins of Destiny" is no different.
And, of course, we are treated to Wurts' usual transcendent prose in this short story.
"Fixed as a post astride the retired charger, he rode with straight back and soft hands. While the anguished mare twisted and screamed, he played her along with experienced gentleness. Then the damp darkness closed in like a shroud, and the loom of the barns fell behind. The lamps dwindled, veiled under sea mist that spat chilly rain. The band of young horses were a moving patchwork of shadow until the brightening dawn lit the dew spangled downs leaden silver."
A brilliant, though very brief story that provides greater appreciation of several key aspects that are highly relevant to the "Wars of Light and Shadow", including the significance of the kingdom of Havish - which is germane to the Arithon / Lysaer issue - the reasons behind the townfolk being indignant over Paravian charter law that the clanfolk cleave to, and the desperate need of the Paravians to come back to the world, and restore balance, "Reins of Destiny" is recommended to be read after "Fugitive Prince", book four of the main series.
But the brevity of this story belies its richness, and beauty. Like every book I've read so far associated with the "Wars of Light and Shadow", "Reins of Destiny" is amazing.
"The fate of a land and the history of a people are not always determined by the confident hands of the great."
And so, a stablemaster is drawn into a web of conspiracy, when a king's messenger arrives, demanding horses. What the stablemaster learns, the messenger's seeking of redemption, and the actions of the stablemaster in trying to preserve a royal line, will play a pivotal role in the fight against the Mistwraith, the great sinister foggy being that has assailed the skies, and blotted out daylight in the world of Athera.
The poignant short story of 25 pages, "Reins of Destiny", set in the world of Janny Wurts' seminal series, the "Wars of Light and Shadow", takes us back to year 5018 of the Third Age, and introduces us to Kayjon sen'Davvis. Kayjon is a townborn man, and master of horse, just outside the city of Telmandir.
Telmandir, located in the principality of Lithmere, is the former capital of the High Kings of Havinsh. Telmandir is also a place with magical implications, as it was once a place where the mythical Paravians - the ancient semi-mortal races who once dominated Athera.
Kayjon has earned a reputation as a man of utter impartiality and fair-handedness, and also as a peerless horsemaster, perhaps the greatest master of all things equine in the land. He's stayed as a casual and detached, even lazy observer of the growing revolt, removed from the impending uprising.
"If some voices claimed the High King and the Sorcerers were milking the towns that upheld the realm, Kavyon never took sides. He yawned through the rebellious talk and shrill fears, even as the Fellowship Sorceres summoned the cream of five kingdoms to bolster their warding defense. Clear nights, when their uncanny bolts of raised power streaked the southern horizon, Kayjon sipped his usual tankard of beer."
One day, Kayjon's rest and leisure is interrupted by the appearance of a clanborn messenger from the king, who bears a royal writ, demanding eleven horses. Kayjon agrees to obey the writ, but insists on accompanying the messenger with the horses, though the messenger disapproves.
For, Kayjon suspects that a revolution has attempted to unseat the High King, and the writ he has received is fraudulent.
Even though this story is only a quarter of a 100 pages in length, it comes with all the trademark magnificence of a Janny Wurts work. This grandeur begins with outstanding character work.
The unnamed clanborn messenger, and the townborn Kayjon are the two protagonists of this story, and they are contrasted very well. They are from opposing sides of what evolves into a long-standing and bitter rivalry, born largely of misunderstanding, elitism, and prejudice, that escalates throughout the following centuries between clanborn and townborn.
Throughout the main "Wars of Light and Shadow" series, and the other short stories associated with Athera, Wurts elaborates on the origins of this feud of two very different perspectives, and how it continues to burn, costing the lives of hundreds of thousands through the many years.
The alienation of clanborn and townborn, protracted and seemingly without end, brought on by the deprivation the humans of Athera have experienced due to being robbed of the grace of the Paravians, looks hopeless.
Yet seeing the relationship between Kavjon and the clansman herald grow from the typical disdain, mistrust and suspicion, to one of greater comprehension, is encouraging for the future of the mortal races of Athera, uniting together one day under a common cause, free of rash judgement, bigotry, and lack of true discernment.
That is perhaps the main theme of the story: how even the most diametrically opposed factions can come together, and change the course of history, putting aside old arguments, for the greater good. Wurts always gives the readers optimism to hold onto, along with the bleakness and tragedy portrayed in her works, and "Reins of Destiny" is no different.
And, of course, we are treated to Wurts' usual transcendent prose in this short story.
"Fixed as a post astride the retired charger, he rode with straight back and soft hands. While the anguished mare twisted and screamed, he played her along with experienced gentleness. Then the damp darkness closed in like a shroud, and the loom of the barns fell behind. The lamps dwindled, veiled under sea mist that spat chilly rain. The band of young horses were a moving patchwork of shadow until the brightening dawn lit the dew spangled downs leaden silver."
A brilliant, though very brief story that provides greater appreciation of several key aspects that are highly relevant to the "Wars of Light and Shadow", including the significance of the kingdom of Havish - which is germane to the Arithon / Lysaer issue - the reasons behind the townfolk being indignant over Paravian charter law that the clanfolk cleave to, and the desperate need of the Paravians to come back to the world, and restore balance, "Reins of Destiny" is recommended to be read after "Fugitive Prince", book four of the main series.
But the brevity of this story belies its richness, and beauty. Like every book I've read so far associated with the "Wars of Light and Shadow", "Reins of Destiny" is amazing.
November 1, 2025
⭐⭐⭐ ║ Beautifully written but less compelling than Wurts’ other short fiction.
Reins of Destiny showcases Wurts’ signature dense and poetic prose—once again rewarding when read slowly. The craftsmanship is undeniable. Yet rapidly shifting perspectives and scene cuts in this brief tale didn’t work well for me. I didn’t connect with it the way I did with The Decoy or The Gallant. Thematically, I appreciate the idea of ordinary people shaping great events, but the story felt more like a stylistic exercise than a necessary piece of the larger Wars of Light and Shadow tapestry. Gorgeous writing, but it didn’t quite land.
Reins of Destiny showcases Wurts’ signature dense and poetic prose—once again rewarding when read slowly. The craftsmanship is undeniable. Yet rapidly shifting perspectives and scene cuts in this brief tale didn’t work well for me. I didn’t connect with it the way I did with The Decoy or The Gallant. Thematically, I appreciate the idea of ordinary people shaping great events, but the story felt more like a stylistic exercise than a necessary piece of the larger Wars of Light and Shadow tapestry. Gorgeous writing, but it didn’t quite land.
October 19, 2022
Short story in the Wars of Light and Shadow series.
This takes place at the beginning of the Mistwraith's invasion. Even way back then in the series' chronology the clansmen and the town-bred were enemies. I was thrown off a bit when the living Paravians were mentioned since they were no longer present on the world in the series. A couple of my questions have now been answered, so I'm glad that I read this. I just wish that it had been longer!
This takes place at the beginning of the Mistwraith's invasion. Even way back then in the series' chronology the clansmen and the town-bred were enemies. I was thrown off a bit when the living Paravians were mentioned since they were no longer present on the world in the series. A couple of my questions have now been answered, so I'm glad that I read this. I just wish that it had been longer!
December 31, 2022
An impactful short story for fans of the Wars of Light and Shadow series. Highlights the after affects of a tragic event in the Third Age told from the POV of a commoner. Don’t read this as a first entry point into the main series. I would suggest The Gallant or Child of Prophecy. Plenty to unpack in this short and longtime fans will see the ripples. Cheers!
January 26, 2015
Tragic short story about the uprising which overthrew the High King of Havish. A young man pursuing his last redeeming chance and a stalwart horsemaster are the only hope to secure the kingdom's legacy. I loved the contrast of the two unlikely protagonists and the way the facts were related. This short story is surely a boon to get more insight to the motives that led the townborns to resent the charter of Paravian law at the hour of the Mistwraith's invasion, and to better understand the position of Havish in the series' story. Better read after Fugitive Prince, where the fate of the kingdom closely intertwines with Arithon's and Lysaer's conflict.
January 11, 2025
Reins of Destiny (Wars of Light & Shadow) sends the reader on an intriguing journey and is a fantastic read. I am addicted to this authors work.
Jannys’ work invites readers to unravel its intricacies layer by layer. It challenges them to confront the darkness within the narrative, suggesting that those who venture into this world will want to remain amongst the pages. She masterfully weaves together a tapestry of suspenseful storytelling. The narrative unfolds through edge-of-your-seat plots and chilling enigmas that ensnare readers from the very first page.
This story seamlessly blends supernatural and paranormal elements. I am addicted! This series is gripping and exciting. It is a tangled web that leaves you breathless and craving more. It is filled with loss and hope, magic and danger, suspense and tension, humour and action within a world where nothing is what it seems.
Jannys’ work invites readers to unravel its intricacies layer by layer. It challenges them to confront the darkness within the narrative, suggesting that those who venture into this world will want to remain amongst the pages. She masterfully weaves together a tapestry of suspenseful storytelling. The narrative unfolds through edge-of-your-seat plots and chilling enigmas that ensnare readers from the very first page.
This story seamlessly blends supernatural and paranormal elements. I am addicted! This series is gripping and exciting. It is a tangled web that leaves you breathless and craving more. It is filled with loss and hope, magic and danger, suspense and tension, humour and action within a world where nothing is what it seems.
August 9, 2014
It's always interesting to read back story on how the High Kings were overthrown. This story makes it very immediate and shows how many people it impacted, both directly and indirectly.
June 13, 2023
This wasn't really anything special. I feel like I've read it before. And not just the plot, I feel like one of the other shorts in the Wars of Light & Shadow world is insanely similar to this one so it doesn't even read quite original in this world. Although this might've been the first one of the two published, I read the other one first.
It's ok and gives a bit of backstory about the same time period the similar story talks about. (Right) After the riot that overthrows the monarchs who rule this planet.
The thing I'm left wondering about is how meek the original people even had to be to just accept royal families some random seven wizards instated. Even if the paravians are somewhat godlike and did endorse the system.
And why would you, as a family accept that your entire line of descendants has one trait magically soldered into your being to the point even logic can't overrule it...
What did these people think?
This last question might not immediately seem applicable to this specific story, but it is mentioned in the text, like in almost all the stories and novels I've read in this world.
It's ok and gives a bit of backstory about the same time period the similar story talks about. (Right) After the riot that overthrows the monarchs who rule this planet.
The thing I'm left wondering about is how meek the original people even had to be to just accept royal families some random seven wizards instated. Even if the paravians are somewhat godlike and did endorse the system.
And why would you, as a family accept that your entire line of descendants has one trait magically soldered into your being to the point even logic can't overrule it...
What did these people think?
This last question might not immediately seem applicable to this specific story, but it is mentioned in the text, like in almost all the stories and novels I've read in this world.
October 18, 2019
Fine enough, but didn't stand alone terribly well. Would have been better as a chapter in a larger work.
November 30, 2013
A lovely short read.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews