From the bestselling author of The Spellshop comes the award-winning first book in an adult epic fantasy series of malevolent nature spirits, a young woman's uncertain destiny, a deadly competition, and family found along the way-available in trade paperback for the first time.

Everything has a spirit: the willow tree with leaves that kiss the pond, the stream that feeds the river, the wind that exhales fresh snow . . .

Only those spirits want to kill you.

It's the first lesson that every Renthian learns.

What is a queen?

In Renthia, the queen is the one human with enough magical power to prevent the spirits from destroying every man, woman, and child. For the very spirits the humans rely on to live-wood, earth, water, air, fire, and ice-at the same time possess an instinctual drive to exterminate them. The queen is chosen for her ability to control the spirits, but she is also mortal, so to ensure the humans' survival, potential heirs to the queen's role are rigorously trained to take her place. And there is concern that Fara, the current queen, is weakening.

What is a champion?

With the stakes literally life and death, competition at the academy is fierce and demanding. Years ago, spirits slaughtered almost everyone in her village until young Daleina was able to drive them off with power she didn't know she possessed. Now struggling to equal the magical strength of her fellow trainees at the academy, she comes under the tutelage of a disgraced champion, Ven, who has spent his exile secretly fighting against the growing number of spirit attacks, and the mysterious healer Hamon.

What is a family?

Joining forces, they embark on a treacherous quest to find the source of the spirits' restlessness-a journey that will test their courage and trust, and force them to stand together against both enemies and friends to save their land...before it's bathed in blood.