
Justi the Gifted
This epic fantasy tells of barbarians who invade the Kingdom of Zell and bring slavery and death. It is up to a young peasant boy with a powerful gift to free the kingdom. Justi is strong, but his gift has been split, and he must find the girl with another part of the gift to give him the control he needs. He also finds love.
This epic fantasy tells of barbarians who invade the Kingdom of Zell and bring slavery and death. It is up to a young peasant boy with a powerful gift to free the kingdom. Justi is strong, but his gift has been split, and he must find the girl with another part of the gift to give him the control he needs. He also finds love.

The simple peasant boy Justi wants a normal life, but times are not normal in the Kingdom of the Zell. Northern barbarians have invaded and he becomes the eye of the storm when he receives the Sense of Justice from the god Li. The god Dar sunders the gift, scattering its components, leaving Justi with uncontrolled heat and light, a residual power that threatens Dar’s plan and must be stopped.
After his power kills, Justi flees and is led to the teenage Mercerio, exiled heir to the Zellish throne and recipient of the mercy component of the gift. The pair’s liaison is foretold in prophecy and may give Justi the control he needs to drive back Dar’s horde of invaders. To prevent this alliance of Justi and Mercerio, Dar has the prostitute Provani seduce Justi who, in shame and fear, avoids Mercerio and refuses to help drive invading forces from his homeland. Only when Mercerio is in danger can he admit his love and use his power.
But even as Justi acts to push back the barbarians, his greatest fear comes true—he kills an innocent. More than ever Justi must find a way to unite his power with Mercerio’s and restore Li’s gift.
After his power kills, Justi flees and is led to the teenage Mercerio, exiled heir to the Zellish throne and recipient of the mercy component of the gift. The pair’s liaison is foretold in prophecy and may give Justi the control he needs to drive back Dar’s horde of invaders. To prevent this alliance of Justi and Mercerio, Dar has the prostitute Provani seduce Justi who, in shame and fear, avoids Mercerio and refuses to help drive invading forces from his homeland. Only when Mercerio is in danger can he admit his love and use his power.
But even as Justi acts to push back the barbarians, his greatest fear comes true—he kills an innocent. More than ever Justi must find a way to unite his power with Mercerio’s and restore Li’s gift.
This heroic fantasy published in 2015 by Leo Publishing contains 346 pages. You can read a sample chapter on the Leo Publishing site. Buy now on Amazon or Barnes & Noble or at your favorite bookstore. The sequel, The Gifted Spawn, is in the second phase of critiquing.