Jessum is an acolyte in the castle, called from the village of Larnes. Hated on sight by Elymas, he decides to return home before the final choosing. His role starts out small but grows larger as the series continues. All his life, he’s had the ability to predict weather, though he has yet to learn the reason.

Excerpt

At the King’s dismissal, Jessum bounded for the kitchen. Under the eyes of a sputtering second cook, he snatched a loaf of bread and a jug of cider. The bounty secure under his arm, Jessum pounded the stairs to acolyte’s garret room. He threw open the shutters and spraddled the window ledge. The cider was chilled and the bread perfection, but by the second bite, he’d decided to leave.

He would go home because there was no reason to stay. He’d return to the village of Larnes and seek out Eulie, the blind seer who’d predicted his rising star with spasmodic glee and declare that he’d been wrongfully chosen. There was no lock to which he held the key, no puzzle in which he fit, no challenge put before him that he wouldn’t fail. And if Euli still insisted royal blood flowed in his veins, he’d take the Seer by the hand and lead him to a pile of dung. Breathe deeply, he’d tell the old man, this is the worth of your words.