A long time ago the Sin Washer split the power of magic between the common man (vinearts) and the men of power (princes) - so that the princes didn't become tyrants - and set the Washers to guard the balance. In other words, the powerful princes cannot wield magic and the common people with magic cannot become men of power. Also so that vinearts couldn't ever use more than two of the available five magics...thinking that combining more could lead back to the original fear. All in an effort to lessen the danger of an evil prince destroying others in his greed.

In the first and second books, Jerzy was a slave (a common man) who had magic and Vineart Malech took him under his wing but before he could really teach him the art, he was killed by Washers. Malech knew something was wrong in the Lands Vin and sent Jerzy out roaming to try to discover the source of his unease. In his journey, Jerzy picked up a few friends (another forbidden thing - the vinearts were to be kept apart from others, again to lessen the temptation of performing evil.) Mahault, a disowned landowners daughter; Kainam, a prince's son who left his lands due to this fathers politics; and Ao, a trader. The Washers chased them hither and yon until finally Jerzy lost them and headed for home, House Malech. In this installment, Jerzy and his gang have finally uncovered who was threatening the Lands Vin and developed a plan to defeat him using the vineyard's magic.

I really enjoyed this series (though with the abrupt ending, I'm not convinced this was the conclusion). The storyline involves very difficult concepts that should have become easier to understand as the series progressed but really didn't. The reading is slow but definitely a story worth reading revolving around good vs evil as well as right vs wrong which is not the same thing at all.

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