The Awakeners: Sheri S. Tepper

Book I of Northshore. The World of the River is distant in time and space, where the pace of life is measured by the tides, yet dark currents lurk under a placid surface. Pamra Don is a young woman scarred by her mother's death and who has been lured to a priesthood where the truth must be hidden from the faithful. Thrasne is a young trader-boatman, free from the iron control of the Towers of the Awakeners - as long as he never speaks his mind. These two, by accident and design, are about to discover many truths - which may be fatal. Cover art by James C. Christensen.