Sorcery Rising: Jude Fisher

Book I of Fool's Gold. The Allfair - a place for old enemies to put aside their differences for a time and come together for trade and revelry. Katla Aransen and her family have come to trade their goods; the Vingo clan have travelled from Istria to purchase a bride for their appalling eldest son; Tycho Issian to sell his daughter to the highest bidder; and King Ravn Asharson, Stallion of the North, comes seeking a wife, while others seek his downfall. But there is disquiet in the air. For centuries Elda has been bereft of magic but now a mysterious force is abroad, and at its centre a triumvirate of strangers to the Allfair; a mysterious, coldly dispassionate man, his oddly intelligent cat and a woman of such beauty that all who see her fall under her thrall. Magic is returning to the world...Cover art by Paul Young.