It has been four years since the village of Errold's Grove, on the border of Valdemar, was sacked and burned by barbarians. Four years since the rebellious orphan boy Darian escaped into the vast Pelagiris Forest, finding sanctuary with the mysterious Tayledras Hawkbrothers.During his stay with the Hawkbrothers, Darian has found his calling and has begun training with them to become a Healing Adept. Born a Valdemaran, but now steeped in the mystical ways of the Tayledras, it is his dream to become their emissary - forging an alliance and providing a diplomatic link with his own people.Keisha Alder has taken over the workshop left empty when the wizard Justyn was murdered by the barbarians. With no formal education, working with only the natural instincts of her inborn Healing Gift, this young woman has devoted herself to the care of the people of Errold's Grove.She knows that she should leave the village and seek proper training at the Healer's College in Haven, the capital city of Valdemar - but how can she? She is solely responsible for the medical care of her now bustling community. Yet with the heightened empathy of a Healing Gift, and the inability to shield herself because of her lack of training, it is becoming harder and harder for Keisha to bear the strains of everyday life.And then Darian returns to Errold's Grove with a small contingent of Hawkbrothers to warn the townsfolk that another tribe of barbarians is approaching their village and advises them to evacuate their homes. But Keisha and some of the villagers refuse to flee. As a Healer she knows she will be needed if there is bloodshed, and her Gift dictates that she stay, even if it puts her life in jeopardy. Yet how can one small band of Hawkbrothers and two Valdemaran teenagers with partially trained Gifts stand against the destructive might of a barbarian horde? Read Less