Gauntlet of Malice — Deborah Turner Harris

Not only is Caradoc a failed mage, now he is also a fugitive, accused of murder. Delsidor, the ruler of Garillon, has been fatally stabbed in Ambrothen Cathedral, and all signs point to Caradoc and a malevolent misuse of magepower.

Evelake, the son and heir of the murdered man, is in Caradoc's care. Evelake's mind has been removed and replaced by the renegade sorcerer Borthen in a first move to take control of Garillon.

Caradoc, hunted and bereft of the mage-stone which is the source of his power, must travel paths where danger lurks on every side. With only his native talent and courage to keep him alive, Caradoc must bring young Evelake to sanity and safety.

Only then can he tackle the infinitely worse confrontation with the corrupting evil of Borthen.