It’s 1462, during the height of the Renaissance in the opulent Kingdom of Naples. Thalia Gazella has a secret—the only person privy to it is dead. At twelve-years-old, she should be invisible, like most her age, but instead she is an anomaly—a Nostradamus of her time. She keeps her gift hidden from everyone, especially her father, a prominent silk dealer, who unequivocally expresses his hatred for augury, deeming it demonic.
However, one night during a dinner hosted by her father for the King’s envoys, Thalia inadvertently reveals details of a dream describing an invasion of Naples. Impressed by her foresight, one of the King’s envoys suggests she meet with the King’s Council of Seers, despite her father's vehement disapproval. Thalia is immediately conscripted into the council without her father’s knowledge, with the promise of anonymity. Thrust into a world ruled by the powerful and elite, she must learn to navigate royal politics and shifting alliances all amid a war of succession. Initially intimidated, she gains confidence as she learns her predictions are a valuable asset to the king, but as they earn her influence in the court, a jealous seer threatens to expose her double life. Thalia is both terrified and scared of being found out, not only because she will have to face her father's devastating wrath but also lose her lifelong desire to use her gift as a Seer.
“How long can I maintain this double life; with one world, normal and comfortable, yet full of lies and keeping secrets- the other -exciting and adventurous, revealing truths and hidden agendas? Both are dangerous!”
Thalia,
July 31, 1462