Winner of the 2013 Eric Hoffer Book Award for YA and a Grand Prize Finalist. The young elf desired only to follow in his mother's footsteps and become a healer. But when the Emperor's army attacks his village to punish traitors and conscript youth, Seanchai flees to the mountains, seeking safe harbor with an uncle he has never met. He is shocked as many people sacrifice their lives to ensure he reaches a Wycaan Master, an enigmatic woman named Mhari, who can teach him to wield a powerful death-and-life magic that might just free the races of Odessiya.

In a world defined by strict racial boundaries, where humans rule, dwarves hide deep underground, and elves are a slave nation, Seanchai must find a way to create friendships and trust, unheard of since the fall of the Wycaan Masters, and reunite the races into an alliance that will bring freedom to all.

But sometimes one must choose between his companions and his destiny. Seanchai abhors his ability to kill and, in the friendships he forges, discovers something potentially more powerful than his magic.

Friendship, however, can be a double-edged sword.

**

### About the Author

Deep in a redwood forest in Northern California, a boy and his father sat at a picnic table and created an epic fantasy world. The ancient trees bore witness to the summoning of the Wycaan Masters. Alon Shalev is the author of social justice-themed novels, A Gardener's Tale, The Accidental Activist, and Unwanted Heroes. He is the lead writer of the political blog, leftcoastvoices.com, and never expected to delve into the world of fantasy. In 2010, while on a family camping trip in the Northern California redwoods, his then 11-year-old son, who devours YA fantasy, objected to his father opening his laptop and writing. A compromise was reached and both were soon deeply engrossed in what became the first of three epic novels (so far). Alon Shalev lives in Berkeley, California with his wife and two sons. As a fantasy writer, he blogs at elfwriter.com and tweets @elfwriter.