Chapter 1

KNOX FROWNED AND LEANEDagainst the tree outside of the little ragtag encampment of Vidrland in the northeastern corner of the Feral Forest. His ever present hood was up, covering his face as he met with his two best spies.

Dirt clung to his brown pants, a constant side-effect of his job. His hatchet hung from his belt, but he didn"t need it right now. He crossed his arms and frowned.

"So the king"s forces are pushing into the woods again? For what purpose this time?"

The forest lay directly between Glathen and Busparia. With the war, he"d known it was only a matter of time before one or the other tried to go straight through.

Will nodded, shifting on the saddle as he looked down at Knox. "Aye. It"s like the bloody king"s men chopping the east side all over again, except now they"re trying to build their own road instead of just taking the lumber for their war machines."

Knox groaned and raked a hand over his face. The Lone Road was the only one in and out of the forest. Only the most desperate ventured onto the road between the kingdoms without the protection of the Robins. Or the most heavily guarded, and even then only a handful of them had ever made it through without escort.

Knox frowned, the possibilities running through his head.

"Why does he think he can create his own road? Do they have mages that can keep the forest at bay?"

The men ignored Knox as he paced in front of them and thought.

The forest had spells of protection that were as old as the forest itself. The druids, the caretakers of the forest who ensured the balance between life and death, said the forest"s magic was because it was one of Gaiana"s favorite places in the world.

One of the three druids of the forest raised Knox. He knew their ways and had organized the band of cutthroats known as the Robins. He"d magically branded them with runes to freely move throughout the forest. Well, except for the normal assassin vines and killer plants. But he"d taught them how to avoid those dangers.

The Robins kept an eye on everyone who entered via the road and the forest took care of those who tried to barrel inside without a path. Collecting tolls for safe passage from travelers was a relatively new endeavor for the Robins, as he"d suggested it ten years ago at the start of the war. That had been in retaliation for the king chopping the eastern edge to nothing. All because he wanted to make war machines.

Knox" anger still burned over that heedless destruction for a stupid war that didn"t involve the forest at all. He took a deep breath, controlling his emotions and coming to a stop. He put his hand on his hatchet and another on the tree, drawing peace from the steady strength of it.

Will looked around the edge of the Robin"s camp. "The forest and our spells are keeping the king"s forces out for now, bless be Borga. What do we do if their magicians find a way through?"

Knox stroked his chin and looked up into the sky, barely visible between the green leaves of the trees swaying in the gentle breeze.

"Monitor the area without being seen. Do not let them chop down more trees. Use magic or arrows, not close combat. I don"t want anyone captured."

Will nodded, and Knox turned to Ashur. "What do you have to report on the war front?"

Ashur straightened. "The Glathens finally reclaimed Auckwald from the Buspartans."

Knox" eyes widened and his brows rose in surprise. "Interesting. So the peace negotiations failed. Hm, are the Buspartans on the way home then?"

Ashur continued. "They are fleeing along the Southern Road to Busparia, and the Growlers are picking off the stragglers and wounded."

The Growlers and the cliffs made it a dangerous journey. There were choke points on the road that would collapse into the sea if they tried to crowd an entire army on it at once.

Knox pushed the thought away. The army wasn"t his concern. He had taken an oath to safeguard the forest its people. Nothing else concerned him.

Except the war kept shifting how he could protect the forest and the people that called it home.

Ashur spat in the dirt and murmured. "About time those soldiers came home."

Knox had stayed out of politics until the king had chopped down trees in the forest. It was imperative that they maintain the balance of life and death in these woods. If they wiped out the forest, death would spread to the entire continent, according to Olive, and she would know.

Will grunted. "Agreed. Ten years is too long. We need to do something about the king, though."

The king was erratic. He had ruled for the past twenty years after his parents" deaths. But the last decade, he"d banished those who offended him, executed those who broke his rules, and set fire to the houses who refused to pay taxes.

He had no concept of money or that he was bleeding the entire nation dry. The lavish parties with his closest confidants grew more frequent, causing the taxes to rise.

Knox frowned, his chest growing tight. "Not yet, but it may come to that. We might need someone on the inside, an informant, who can tell us what the king"s next move is. I don"t want to be surprised if he has some kind of plan other than a road. He"s probably going to retaliate at the Glathens for reclaiming Auckwald. His pride will make him strike back."

Actually, that might be why he was trying to build a road. But the forest needed to remain neutral and stay out of the bloody war. A robin trilled above and the summer sun filtered through the leaves, bringing peace to Knox" racing mind.

Will arched a brow. "You know I"m the best sneak here."

Knox sighed and rubbed the back of his neck as he straightened. "I know, but it"s risky. Start at the taverns and see what you can hear. If we can"t glean any information from the drunken city guards, we"ll see if we can bribe a noble or official."

Ashur said, "You know Scarlet would be willing."

Knox glared. "She has to stay out of this. She decided years ago, and so did we."

He jerked his thumb. "Go on and get some decent rest. You"ve earned it."

They touched the tip of their green pointed caps and rode into the camp. Knox circled around the tents, wooden cabins, and treehouses as he patrolled, his mind swirling as he thought through every scenario.

Vidrland was originally a druid settlement that had fallen into disrepair. He"d spent a lot of time with the two druids while he was growing up. They"d turned over the master warden job to him when the war had broken out, claiming to be too old to keep up.

Then Knox began bringing in the wounded and repairing the falling wooden cabins, building the structures by hand. The desperate and sick sought their aid for healing at the natural hot springs and had even started worshiping Gaiana at the druid circle.

He checked that the trees were nearly a solid wall to protect them, then strode into the heart of the Robin"s base, the nest. He stopped by the lodge and checked in with their dwarven steward John, but all was well, so he headed to Olive"s to seek her counsel.

****

It took a few hours, but Knox turned his horse down a well-worn path and whistled a seemingly innocent tune. He wiggled his fingers, and the air shimmered with magic.

The humans who were born with magic could either go to high mage school or they learned low magic by apprenticing, working for their limited education. Those who weren"t inherently strong enough began using magic with the help of a magic item like a wand, dagger, stone, hair pin, or even a toy.

Knox had never needed a focus item though, as he"d only needed to point or wiggle his fingers. He smiled as Olive"s cottage came into view in a small clearing, one wall attached to a giant tree.

He rode through the protection spell he"d placed around the area long ago, then wiggled his fingers to close it behind him. The door opened at his whistle, and Scarlet stepped out with a smile.

Everyone just called her Scarlet because of her dark auburn hair, now piled high in a messy curly bun. Freckles dotted her nose, and her green eyes matched her shirt, pants, and cloak. His sister had ignored the style of most eligible women in the nation for over a decade, always marching to her own beat.

He pulled to a stop and dismounted Ryder, leaving the reins dangling as he bounded up the stone path to the door.

"Red, you"re back!" He swept her up in a hug and spun her around, making her laugh.

She pounded on his back playfully. "Put me down, you big brute. I"m too old for that non-sense, along with that dumb nickname."

He released her, grinning. "Never."

She rolled her eyes, and he followed her into the cottage where he grew up. The only home he"d known, but the past few years had left him restless. He"d long ago stopped thinking of the druid"s cottage as home.

Olive bustled around the kitchen, the familiar scents of herbs and spices mingling with the stew on the stove. She was cooking dinner or making some potion or both.

She turned and smiled over her shoulder. Red hair streaked with gray, she had a few crow"s feet at the corners of her eyes, but that was mostly where the differences lay. Otherwise, she could"ve been Scarlet"s sister instead of her grandmother.

"There you are. Just in time for lunch too," Olive said, turning back to the stove. He kicked off the mud on the front stoop and ducked his head as he entered.

"I would"ve been here yesterday, except the Growlers were roaming and I needed to go to Vidrland first."

He and Scarlet sat at the small table, and she pushed a cup of water to him. He drank, the coolness exactly what he needed after the hot ride.

"I saw their tracks too," Scarlet said, frowning at Olive"s back. Their eyes met, an unspoken worry shared. If the wolves decided to, Olive would have no defense against them. Her potions would only last so long and her wild shape form was no match for them.

The forest acknowledged the Growlers" inherent magic so they"d easily get through his protection spell. He"d learned all the druid"s spells early on, learning both high and low magic spells they"d collected over the generations.

They had several shifter communities like the Growlers, but their magic wasn"t well known. Most humans feared the shifters because of the secrecy and insular nature of their packs. It was another reason most people avoided the Feral Forest. None wanted to be caught by the Growlers, who were fiercely territorial.

It hadn"t happened in his thirty years living in the forest, but the last attack had killed Scarlet"s mother.

The Growlers normally stayed in their own territory, but Knox had to protect her. Half of that job was always being prepared.

The old druid bustled past them, grabbing a vial from a shelf and going back to the stove. "Psh, nothing to worry about, loves. They"re just hot and cranky. You know it"s mating season for them. As long as we stay out of the way of all those hormones, we"ll all be alright. Now, how were the lads up north, Knox?"

Knox told of his visit to the dwarves" stronghold and the latest magical technology they"d shared with him. Scarlet"s eyes glittered with excitement.

The topic shifted to politics and the ongoing war, and Knox shared what he"d learned so far.

Scarlet shrugged. "There are rumors of the king finding a new mistress too. Perhaps she will help calm him down from the blow of losing Auckwald and the troops running home with their tails between their legs. I heard that he lit the barracks on fire when he heard of the defeat."

Scarlet knew he traded with Vidrland but not that he"d become the unquestioned leader of the Robins. To everyone, including Scarlet and Olive, he was just a lonely lumberjack who lived in Vidrland and went to the city of Demerel every few months for supplies.

Still, he had to warn Olive. "Between the king"s temper, mating season, and the full moon coming up? Olive, maybe you can come stay in Vidrland for a few days?"

Olive scowled as she sat a bowl of soup in front of him. "No, this is my home, and I"m not leaving."

Scarlet frowned, picking at her nails with a thin-bladed dagger. "Grandma, a few days won"t hurt. Consider it a vacation. Think of all the friends you can visit. Don"t you want to see River and Oakley?"

The three druids now only got together once per year on the pilgrimage to the southern ruins. He wasn"t sure how much they"d told Olive about the Robins" work, but Knox certainly didn"t discuss any of it with her.

Olive set a bowl of steaming soup in front of Scarlet and then sat. "Perhaps. I"ll think about it. Now why don"t you tell me why you"re here?"

Scarlet shifted in her chair, her eyes downcast as she said, "What makes you think it"s anything other than just a well-deserved break?"

Olive stared at her, and Scarlet blushed then admitted, "The princess of Busparia might be traveling the Lone Road."

Knox" brows rose. His people hadn"t mentioned the princess at all. "Why?"

Scarlet didn"t question his demanding tone, thank the gods.

"After the peace negotiations fell through, she went to tend to the wounded and boost morale at Auckwald. She left and not even a week later, Auckwald fell to the Glathens. The army is on the move back to Busparia, but the princess is not on the Southern Road. She followed the western edge of the forest to the Glathen"s village."

Knox rubbed his chin, his mind racing. "Interesting."

Scarlet nodded. "The king sent me into the forest to see if she"s on the Lone Road."

Knox nodded. "If she is, it"ll be dark in a few hours. She won"t make it in the dark."

Scarlet eyed him. "I was hoping you"d ride with me to find her?"

He raked a hand over the side of his head and sighed. She knew he could protect them all from the forest"s magic.

He nodded and sat back in his seat, pushing his now empty bowl away. "Whenever you"re ready."

Soon they were back in the saddle, riding swiftly on the faint path. He reactivated the spell behind him to protect Olive"s circle.

The forest closed around them, the underbrush reaching for them. He waved a hand and the vines and bushes went back, now not even touching their horses.

Scarlet asked, "How"s the lumber and pelts business?"

Knox nodded, telling her about the last hunting trip.

His conscience nagged at him to bring Scarlet into the Robins" work. The fact remained that it would only put her in danger.

She hadn"t visited Vidrland in ten years, not since he and the druids had grown it into a small village. Not since she"d become a Hunter at the start of the war. Mercenaries paid pretty well, thanks to the Hunter"s Guild.

That was before the wounded and deserters and draft dodgers had begun to trickle into the forest seeking his protection.

Scarlet visited Olive once or twice a year but didn"t go all the way north.

He couldn"t share their plans with her, not when she worked for the king who kept threatening the forest.

Not that he didn"t trust her. He absolutely did. She was the only sister he"d ever had. Many just assumed that because they both had the same sun-weathered complexion with a shit load of freckles that they were true brother and sister, but they were wrong.

No, only three people knew he"d been a giant egg that sat on Olive"s mantle for her entire life until he"d hatched thirty years ago. He"d learned so much from Scarlet"s ranger father. He"d died in the war, but Knox felt he owed the man. He would protect Scarlet.

And the less she knew of the Robin"s work, the safer she"d be.