Shieldbearer

The Grand Council has designated Simon and Monty as outcasts, deserving of erasure and death. Monty and Simon have vowed to do everything in their power stop the Grand Council.

Power is the issue.

In order to stand against the Grand Council, they must grow in power. In order to grow in power, Simon needs a teacher.
As an outcast, Simon must now perfect his dawnward—the defensive shield he has learned to cast.

There’s only one small problem—his outcast status means no one is willing to teach him the advanced version of the cast.
No one, except a mage known as the Spartan.

Now, Monty and Simon will travel to the hidden island of Naxos, where the Spartan is rumored to live. There, they will discover the truth behind the mysterious mage, and what it means to be a true shieldbearer.