Loren did not ask for the dagger at her waist.
She did not ask to be born to cruel parents.
And she did not ask to be drawn into a conflict that threatens more harm than she can possibly imagine.
After fifteen years of toil, when her dreams of adventure have very nearly died out, a spark arrives to rekindle them.
A half-glimpsed coat of blue, dodging through the trees of the Birchwood. A wizard. A fugitive.
Escape.
Loren will seek her fortune across all the nine kingdoms. But if she dies trying to earn it, she will be only the first to burn in a war that threatens all of Underrealm.