This article refers to the book by Fiona McIntosh

Fiona McIntosh

Fiona McIntosh is a fantasy author who lives in Australia. She was born in Brighton, England and between the ages of three and eight, travelled a lot to Africa due to her father's work. At the age of nineteen, she travelled first to Paris and later to Australia, where she has lived ever since...

. For the other factual book, see Betrayal (book).

Betrayal is the first fantasy novel in the Trinity series and published in 2001. This was the first series written by Australian fantasy

Fantasy

Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...

 author Fiona McIntosh

Fiona McIntosh

Fiona McIntosh is a fantasy author who lives in Australia. She was born in Brighton, England and between the ages of three and eight, travelled a lot to Africa due to her father's work. At the age of nineteen, she travelled first to Paris and later to Australia, where she has lived ever since...

 and contained two other books, Revenge, and Destiny. The Trinity series tells the story of a heavenly prince, Orlac, and his struggle with handsome and empowered Torkyn Gynt, a village scribe in the land of Tallinor, and his beloved, equally magical, Alyssandra Qyn, to raze Tallinor to the ground.

Plot summary

Torkyn Gynt, or Tor, is a sixteen-year-old boy who lives in a small village

Village

A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...

 in the rural areas of Tallinor, a monarchy

Monarchy

A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...

 in which anyone with magical powers, called sentients, are bridled, branded, and ultimately sentenced to death, in following with ancient fear by royally-employed Inquistors, led by the fearsome and cruel Inquistor Goth. Tor and local beauty Alyssa, teenagers in love

Love

Love is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, "God is love" or Agape in the Canonical gospels...

, are both sentient, however, to the surprise of those who are aware of their powers, their skills go undetected. At a bridling in their local village, in which a young maiden is brutally maimed by Goth, Torkyn uses his powers and is detected by mysterious royal Physic

Faith Healer

Faith Healer is a play by Brian Friel about the life of faith healer Francis Hardy as monologued through the shifting memories of Hardy, his wife, Grace, and stage manager, Teddy.-Synopsis:...

 Merkhud. Following a festival and an interrupted proposal

Proposal of marriage

A marriage proposal is an event where one person in a relationship asks for the other's hand in marriage. If accepted, it marks the initiation of engagement. It often has a ritual quality, sometimes involving the presentation of an engagement ring and a formalized asking of a question such as "Will...

, Alyssa and Torkyn are separated, and Merkhud convinces Torkyn to learn medicine

Medicine

Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....

 and be his apprentice at the Palace in Tal. Merkhud's wife, Sorrel, meanwhile manipulates Alyssa to travel Tal with her. Alyssa becomes bitter and believes Tor no longer loves her; Torkyn believes Alyssa will not let him psychically link with her because she is angry over the interrupted proposal. It is revealed to Tor that he was an orphan

Orphan

An orphan is a child permanently bereaved of or abandoned by his or her parents. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents is called an orphan...

 of a fire which burnt down his house and killed his parents.

Tor travels to Tal alone and distraught over his lover's disappearance. On the way, he encounters a cripple

Cripple

A cripple is a person or animal with a physical disability, particularly one who is unable to walk because of an injury or illness. The word was recorded as early as 950 AD, and derives from the Proto-Germanic krupilaz...

 named Cloot of the Rork'yel, being beaten in another village. He rescues Cloot and becomes close friends, at the same time befriending a young prostitute named Eryn, and Eryn and Torkyn have sexual intercourse

Sexual intercourse

Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...

. He also meets the Prime, the King's second-in-command

Second-in-command

The Second-in-Command is the deputy commander of any British Army or Royal Marines unit, from battalion or regiment downwards. He or she is thus the equivalent of an Executive Officer in the United States Army...

, also in charge of the nation's security

National security

National security is the requirement to maintain the survival of the state through the use of economic, diplomacy, power projection and political power. The concept developed mostly in the United States of America after World War II...

, whose name is Cyrus. Cyrus is suspicious of Tor, and learns of Tor's powers when Tor saves Cyrus from a band of ruffians, sworn to secrecy because of his gratitude. Tor on the way visits Tallinor's Great Forest, believed to be enchanted, and finds his way to the haven in the middle, the Heartwood. It is here Lys, a woman who has spoken to Cloot in dreams, transforms Cloot into a peregrine falcon

Peregrine Falcon

The Peregrine Falcon , also known as the Peregrine, and historically as the Duck Hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...

. Cloot accompanies Torkyn through the rest of the journey to Tal, where he becomes popular quickly with King Lorys, Queen Nyria, and the royal court

Royal court

Royal court, as distinguished from a court of law, may refer to:* The Royal Court , Timbaland's production company*Court , the household and entourage of a monarch or other ruler, the princely court...

 as a talented physic.

Alyssa and Sorrel make their way to Caremboche, a place where sentient women may flee the punishment of Inquisitors and spend their time archiving, among other passive crafts, for the good of Tallinor. A Caremboche woman, called Untouchable, must be a virgin and may not engage in any sexual or romantic relations. The punishment is execution for the woman and her lover. They pause at a town where a circus

Circus

A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...

 is being held. While at an inn, Alyssa is encountered alone by Goth, who makes unwanted advances towards Alyssa. Sorrel's appearance in the nick of time saves Alyssa, and Sorrel and Alyssa attend the circus. A performer, Saxon Fox, reveals himself to Alyssa as her protector, also having entertained Lys's presence in his dreams. Goth hates gypsies though, and razes the circus. In the chaos, she is misled to Goth, who proceeds to rape

Rape

Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...

 her. Saxon Fox emerges, and cuts off Goth's manhood, taking Alyssa back to Sorrel, who agrees to travel with the Foxes for a while.

Alyssa begins a romantic relationship with Saxon, however her romantic feelings are rejected by a man who would rather be her father figure, and they continue their journey towards Caremboche. As they arrive, Goth appears and Saxon's nephews, in love with Alyssa, die to defend her. In the process, Saxon is crippled badly. His eyes are ripped out, his tongue is fed to a dog, and his limbs are badly broken. In despair, Alyssa stays at Caremboche and has archalyt, a type of stone, placed on her forehead to stop a flow of magic from either direction. Saxon and Sorrel stay on, and Alyssa begins to heal.

Years later, Merkhud deliberately sends Torkyn to attend the Caremboche festival, held periodically, instead of himself, after a falling out between Torkyn and Merkhud. The festival is steeped in centuries of superstition, and is celebrated by parades, dances, and feasting. Torkyn is not aware Alyssa is at Caremboche, having pushed her to the past as Alyssa has done him, yet Tor decides it is time to find his lover. He arrives at Caremboche and meets an arrestingly beautiful, if malicious, witch named Xantia, who is smitten with him. Xantia and Alyssa are enemies, starting over the position for Elder

Elder (administrative title)

The term Elder is used in several different countries and organizations to indicate a position of authority...

, and now over the affections of Torkyn Gynt. Alyssa at first is angry and distressed at Tor's arrival, however the two sort out their misunderstandings and reunite. Goth lurks nearby, however, and makes several attempts to attack Torkyn and Alyssa, both of whom he despises passionately. At the culmination of the festival, Tor and Alyssa narrowly escape Goth and teleport with Tor's power to the Heartwood, where they couple and are married by a priestess, Arabella. They live in peace with a wolf, Solyana, and Arabella, for nine months after Alyssa becomes pregnant, and has two children. Alyssa believes her son died, and her daughter is unknown to her, as close to dying, she became unconscious as Goth attacked the forest and took the two to Tal for punishment. Tor is sentenced and executed; Alyssa escapes it by Tor and Merkhud plotting to disguise it as seduction and not as an affair.

It is revealed through Alyssa's study that Caremboche was once razed by an angry god named Orlac, who was stolen when inadvertently let into the world of Tallinor, and in despair at his loss of birthright, avenged himself and was Quelled by the gods and a group of Paladin

Paladin

The paladins, sometimes known as the Twelve Peers, were the foremost warriors of Charlemagne's court, according to the literary cycle known as the Matter of France. They first appear in the early chansons de geste such as The Song of Roland, where they represent Christian martial valor against the...

, ten magical beings, must guard his spirit and body in the spirit realms. Saxon and Cloot are Paladin; Merkhud and Sorrel are the earthly parents of Orlac, as they had adopted Orlac from the thieves.

Tor is duly executed, but Merkhud teaches him to Spirit his soul into Merkhud's body, and Merkhud takes Tor's death for him.

Reception

The book was praised, however did not receive as much attention as The Quickening series, also by Fiona McIntosh.

Bryce Courtenay

Bryce Courtenay

Arthur Bryce Courtenay AM is a South-African-born naturalized Australian novelist and one of Australia's most commercially successful authors.-Background and early years:...

 and Sara Douglass, well-known authors, praised the books, and Altair Magazine delivered a glowing review.http://www.fionamcintosh.com/library.html#trinity

Fiona has delivered a traditional fantasy tale that has more guts and gusto than many that hold that claim. This is a pacey read. The potential with the Trinity series is high and expansive, I will be watching these books with great interest.