AustLit

'What truths lie hidden in the stars?

'Kira is alone, her food all but exhausted, the forest and those she loves, far behind her. When she stumbles on a stranger under attack, she faces a terrible choice: betray everything Kasheron fought for or walk away.

'The stranger, Caledon, knows a path over the mountains and has friends nearby who can help them, but Kira’s quest is clear: go straight north, gain aid for her people, and return home.

'They continue together but the Azurcades are perilous and when a terrible storm threatens to sweep them to their deaths, their journey becomes a battle for survival.

'Kira’s trust in Caledon grows and his gentleness rouses other, deeper feelings, but Caledon is ruled by forces that pose a lethal threat to her quest. She plans her escape, but new lands bring new enemies and she is taken prisoner.

'Fleeing her captors, Kira finds herself with a people under Shargh attack. As the carnage mounts and she joins with their Healers to save the wounded, her stocks of fireweed run dangerously low. Caledon strives to regain her trust and the stakes escalate when he reveals terrible truths that threaten the Tremen’s very existence.

'As the slaughter continues and Kira embarks on a hazardous search for fireweed, disaster strikes and she is snatched by the Shargh warrior who has long hunted her. Can Kira survive to reach the north and finally deliver aid to her people? Or will her quest end at the Shargh’s brutal hands?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.