In remote Orrinshire, Kellan grew up loved at home and treated as strange beyond it. His pointed ears and unexplained magic turned ordinary cruelty into a question he could never settle: whether he belonged with the family who raised him or in the wild stories surrounding his unknown fae father.
The high fae Talion offered a path that sounded made for a young hero. Three witches sustained the curse afflicting the Realm. If Kellan overcame them, Talion would reveal the name he wanted. The bargain joined a public good to a private desire so neatly that Kellan did not ask why a fae sovereign needed a shepherd’s son to perform the work.
He left with more enthusiasm than experience. The promise of a quest gave his uncertainty a direction, but it did not give him judgement. That would come from Ruby, a hunter with fewer illusions about danger and a stronger instinct for the difference between a brave deed and a foolish one.