Before Karana won her shield…Before she spent a year alone in the forest…The Evil Wizard Henig destroyed Taridawil……and the younger child of Duke Randall was sent – all unwilling – to Tallspire to become a page and earn his shield. Meet Kefen and Ivan as children…Discover the story behind how Ivan fought half their class…Watch how they figure out what friendship means…And learn what really happened to bond them so closely together in this touching tale of friendship, resilience, and caring.

*********************Teaser:The small, dark-haired boy – no, ducal-prince, dammit, and that was how Kefen was going to keep his chin up – swallowed hard and began to turn back into the stall for a last measure of privacy before he had to go out there and show the world how a Saralath handled things. But a movement to his left caught his eye.

Another boy was standing in the aisle of the stables, watching him silently. The boy was tall and golden-haired, with eyes that were almost too blue to be real.

Eyes that were puzzled as he met Kefen’s own dark ones. After a moment of looking at each other, Kefen realized the other boy was dressed as he himself was.

So. Another page.

And tall as he was, something about the other child nevertheless suggested to Kefen that he was also new here. He waited, but the other boy said nothing.

And when Kefen lifted an arm to rub his tears off on his sleeve and it broke their gaze, the other boy turned and began walking away. Curious, and drawn for reasons he couldn’t have explained, Kefen followed him.

. .