The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Unlike their northern neighbors, the United Territories of the Consortium chose the path of developing science and practically abandoned magic. Most rituals here are banned. Other small everyday magic is performed only with a license. Magicians who break the ban are put on trial and sent to islands. But not everyone has accepted this situation. A conspiracy is brewing in the U.T.C. The apprentice mage Pantor flees north to escape the law. He is being pursued by an agent of magical oversight. The young mage must be sentenced for a crime he didn’t commit. To everyone’s surprise, both the fugitive and his pursuer become involved in an upcoming coup—without even realizing it, they become almost key figures in the conspiracy.