Laela Redguard is a half-breed Northerner raised in the South. Left homeless after the death of her foster father, Laela sets out in search of a place in the world and chooses to go to the North -- a land now ruled by the infamous Arenadd Taranis II and his partner, the unpredictable dark griffin Skandar.
It is a place where Southerners are not welcome, a place in which Laela cannot hope to survive for long. But then someone comes into Laela's life. A new friend. A dangerous friend. A friend who offers a place in the world - but that place may come at a higher price than anyone suspected ...