Chapter 1

1

Each time into the wilderness, a new experience, a new adventure.

~ Ranger Founder Saruk

“When you said, ‘let’s go into the preserve to get more honey,’ you didn’t mention stopping at creepy druid ruins where extremely mobile vines would hiss and flick at me.”

From the top of a thick stone slab covered by moss, Kaylina Korbian waved a dismissive hand at her brother—her half brother, if her recent research could be trusted. Since that research had involved receiving visions from a sapient plant, it was possibly suspect. But her sister’s memories about the green-haired man who’d visited their mother before Kaylina’s birth did corroborate the story…

“You’re not a ranger or enemy of the preserve, so they shouldn’t hurt you or do anything alarming,” she replied, pushing aside moss in search of Daygarii runes for her brother to translate.

“Hissing and flicking counts as alarming. Did you know—” Frayvar shrieked, sounding more like a little girl than the seventeen-year-old accountant, chef, and rational-minded half of their meadery-and-eating-house business that he was. “That vine slithered over my boot like a snake. That’s tremendously alarming.”

“But it didn’t hurt you. An actual snake would be more concerning.”

“You’re far too blasé about this. We just looted a hundred pounds of honey from that valley across the lake.” Frayvar pointed at the packs strapped to Levitke, the blue-furred taybarri who’d been kind enough to come along and help carry the honey, then thrust his arm toward the blue water shimmering in the midsummer sun.

“It’s not looting if a brand on the back of your hand matches the mark on the side of the beehive.”

“You’re sure about that? You consulted with the bees you were thieving from?” Frayvar jumped back, putting more distance between his foot and the vines.

“When I put my hand on the hive, it tingled pleasantly.”

“Oh, there was tingling ? Why didn’t you say so? I’m vastly reassured.” Frayvar frowned toward her perch. “You should have your sword in case you need to cut a vine that tries to strangle you.” He looked toward Levitke again—or maybe the beautiful, bejeweled sword in its scabbard strapped to her back.

The blade had once belonged to Vlerion’s brother, but he’d given it to Kaylina a few weeks earlier, and she’d dutifully put it to work more than once. The memory of Spymaster Sabor’s death wafted through her mind.

“I’ve attempted to cut those vines with swords before,” Kaylina said, pushing the thought aside. “It didn’t go well.”

“Yeah, but you’re stronger now. From all that ranger training, right?”

“I’m positive it wouldn’t make a difference.”

Levitke padded into the water lapping at the shoreline, appearing warm or maybe bored. Though taybarri and other animals were drawn to Kaylina and liked helping her—a boon she’d never believed she deserved—she vowed that they would head back to the city soon. It took hours to trek to Port Jirador, and the taybarri would want her dinner.

The afternoon was pleasant, however, with birds chirping in the trees around the ruins, fowl paddling among lilies in the lake, and insects buzzing in the air. The mountains looming beyond the preserve still held snow, but southern-born Kaylina could walk outside without four layers of clothing now, and this beautiful area spoke to her blood, inviting her to stay and relax.

Not finding anything to translate on the slab, Kaylina slid to the ground and wandered deeper into the ruins to seek out more promising structures. She passed a plaque surrounded by magical flowers that buzzed with power, but she’d taken a rubbing from it on a previous visit and knew what it said.

These lands are protected by the magic of the Daygarii… Step with care. Enemies… will be slain. One species may not subsume another. When imbalances occur, and one species dominates, fear not, for all will return to equilibrium eventually. The universe… appoints protectors to ensure that in balance the world thrives.

It gave some insight into the ancient druids, but what Kaylina longed to find was information on how to lift Vlerion’s curse. He was still exiled on his family estate, waiting to be questioned about Sabor’s death. Kaylina had killed the spymaster, drawn into a fight with him to defend the then-unconscious Vlerion, but he’d taken the blame and was awaiting judgment.

Finding a way to lift the curse that compelled him to turn into a beast when his emotions were roused might not do anything to solve that problem, but Kaylina had promised him—and his mother—that she would use her newfound druidic power to do so.

As a commoner and a newcomer to the north, she had no idea how to help him with the crown or the law, unless she stepped forward and took the blame on herself. But he’d done that to protect her. As he’d pointed out, his station as a ranger and an aristocrat from a respected family—one that had ruled over Zaldor until his ancestor had abdicated—ought to shield him somewhat. He believed he would receive a more lenient sentence than she would.

“I hope you’re right, Vlerion,” Kaylina whispered, missing him, though it had only been a few days since she’d visited and they’d shared a picnic on the lakeside dock on his estate. He wasn’t in chains or a dungeon. He was fine. “For now,” she murmured, well aware that the situation could change once the new spymaster, a man named Milnor, who’d apparently been Sabor’s second, completed his investigation.

Kaylina climbed atop a pile of toppled slabs and rubble for a better view of the ruins. She tried not to think of how Vlerion, having changed into the beast to battle enemies in this very area, had chased her into a gap in the rocks because he’d longed to mate with her. As much as she cared for Vlerion , and wanted to be with him, she was terrified at the idea of the beast taking her, something that had almost happened more than once.

“Another reason to get that curse lifted,” she murmured, thinking of the scars on the neck of Vlerion’s mother, of her warning that women didn’t always survive mating with the cursed men of the Havartaft line. Since Lady Isla had been married to one of them, she knew better than any.

The elevated position improved Kaylina’s view, but she couldn’t tell if any of the piles of ruins would be more useful than others. If there had once been a library in the ancient settlement, she couldn’t tell now. Any books or scrolls the druids might have kept were long gone.

She eyed the leaf-shaped brand on the back of her hand. It had tingled when she’d touched the hives to remove a portion of the honey from within, hives that had been placed by the druids centuries earlier. Further, the brand always drew her toward the ruins when she was near. She hadn’t intended to stop to poke around in here, but a hunch had told her it might prove fruitful. An hour later, she feared it had been her imagination.

“Is there anything here that can help with the curse?” she whispered to her hand, keeping her voice soft, lest her brother hear and tease her. “With Vlerion?”

The brand didn’t tingle, warm, or do anything to suggest it was anything except a mark on her hand. She was on the verge of climbing down when another thought came to her.

“Is there anything here that could give me information about my father? Or help me find him?”

The plant in Stillguard Castle—the sentinel —had given her a vision of him, a green-haired man with skin the color of a red cedar tree. It hadn’t, however, shared whether he lived or remained in this world.

A hint of warmth came from the brand, and her arm lifted of its own accord. It pointed toward a circular half-wall on a hill overlooking the garden where magical flowers had once shrieked a warning about Kar’ruk warriors approaching. Fortunately, they’d been silent today.

Kaylina scrambled down from the rubble, waded through waist-high flowers, some of which were still blooming, and climbed the hill to the circular area. When she stepped onto the stone wall, she could see the lake. Frayvar stood on the beach near where Levitke waded, his fists on his hips. He looked toward the ruins, noticed Kaylina gazing his way, then clutched his chest and crumpled to the ground.

She squinted at him and called, “Did your heart give out or are you melodramatically letting me know you want to leave?”

He flopped onto his back, hand still over his chest. “The great magical druid danger wafting from those ruins threatens to wither my organs and disintegrate my bones. My collapse will soon be complete, and carnivorous vines will consume my body.”

“So… melodrama.”

“My death will be your fault.”

“I’ll feel extremely guilty about it.”

“As you should. You’ll also be bereft of your chef. Do you think people will come for your mead if there aren’t fine meals to serve alongside the goblets?”

“I could buy some tins of crackers to dole out.”

Horror twisted his face. “I really am dying after hearing that.”

Levitke padded out of the water, sniffed him, then licked his cheek.

“Let me know if you have any final words, and I’ll include them in a letter to Grandma and Grandpa.” Kaylina turned away, trusting the taybarri would let her know if her brother withered, disintegrated, or was consumed.

She studied the circular area, looking for clues. Tall grasses and plants she couldn’t name filled the hilltop, some growing out of gaps in the stones that comprised the wall. In the center, a spherical object almost hidden by leaves, grass, and vines rested on a pedestal the same green as the vegetation.

“Hello, what are you?” she murmured and pushed her way to it.

Vines, branches, and the grime of the ages covered the sphere, and she struggled to brush it clear. She pulled out her knife, thinking it would be easier to study if she sliced away the vegetation, but she hesitated. Though she didn’t sense magic emanating from the plant matter, the nearby alarm flowers might object to damage to any growth within the ruins. She didn’t want them to start keening again. That noise had nearly incapacitated her.

She returned the knife to her sheath and rested her palm on the grimy sphere. It was cool, no hint of magic about it, but she willed her power to prompt the vegetation to shift away from it. She’d convinced vines to move before, though she didn’t know how she’d done it, other than wishing they would.

In case it helped, she focused on the brand. The sentinel had said it didn’t have power itself but somehow helped her access her own.

As Kaylina stood there with her hand on the sphere, she realized the lake and trees around the ruins had grown quiet. When had that happened?

She bit her lip. The last time all the wildlife had fallen silent here, Kar’ruk warriors had been in the area. After the invaders had been defeated in Port Jirador, the rangers had swept through the countryside, including the preserve, and made sure none remained, but what if some of the Kar’ruk had returned to foment trouble? As far as she knew, the Virts—the rebels who called themselves the righteous and virtuous—were still trying to find ways to overthrow the king and better their working conditions.

Kaylina was about to give up and return to the city with Levitke and Frayvar when her hand warmed. The vegetation slithered aside, and some of the hardened grime flaked away. Under her fingers, the sphere flared with green light, green light and energy . A strong buzz vibrated against her palm and ran up her arm.

Startled, Kaylina sprang back. Her heels tangled in the vegetation, and she fell to her butt. She winced at the pain and also with the certainty that the shrieking flowers would wake up.

But they stayed dormant. And the preserve all around remained quiet.

The warmth in Kaylina’s hand intensified, and an urge to return to the sphere filled her.

“If Vlerion were here, he would tell me this isn’t wise,” she whispered as she pushed herself to her feet. She flexed her tingling hand, then stepped back up to the sphere. “As I’ve told him often, wisdom isn’t my forte.”

A pulse came from the back of her hand. Did it seem reassuring, or was that her imagination?

Thus far, the brand had helped her, and the sentinel had also helped her, even if it did so by murdering people who wished her harm. The druid magic was, as her brother said, dangerous. But…

“So far, it’s been on my side.” Shoulders tense, Kaylina rested her hand on the sphere again, the green light shining up between her fingers.

Power flared, and an image of her father formed in her mind. No, not in her mind. It appeared in the air above the sphere, hovering there.

More power flowed from the sphere and into her until her entire body buzzed. Then the energy reversed, seeming to be drawn from within her so it could pour into the sphere.

Weakness made her legs leaden, and she would have pulled away, but the image of her father continued to float in front of her. It was lifelike, almost as if he was there with her, looking the same as in the vision the sentinel had given her.

“Can you hear me? Can you help me?” Kaylina whispered as more energy was sapped from her. “Ideally, before I collapse. Even more dramatically than my brother did.”

A final drawing of energy left her slumped against the pedestal. The image of her father dispersed, the wisps billowing outward in all directions.

What did that mean?

That was her last thought before she crumpled to the ground and the world went dark.