Publisher's Synopsis
"You have cost me a great deal." Dansaryn stated angrily. "I should have been a candidate for the town council, I should have more respect amongst my peers, I should be in a position where I am groomed for a position of relevance and importance." Each use of the word 'I' was highly emphasized. Illandra, ears more sensitive than most due to her lifelong condition, sighed inwardly as she heard the familiar footsteps from the distance. It was only the special glass visor held in place by decorate cloth woven kindly into her sun yellow hair which allowed her to see normally in daytime and full moon nights. Her father realizing her condition at birth fashioned the visor from dark tinted glass, her mother creating the veils to hold it in place. She sighed outwardly, could she not have one place, even the grand cliffs, to sit in peace? With her three 'guardians' as she had come to call them. Nolta, a big yellow dog of mixed decent, Alowa her brindle colored cat and no less brave and finally Falowa the hawk which watched over her from above. It seems the town council had seen past the pretenses of these two through by their disdain for her."It is your own ambitions and faults which hold you back." Illandra heard the sharp intake of Galyn's breath readying to reply.."You better go to the council and..." Galyn was always a bit excitable; however her arrogance seemed to be at an all-time high."And what?" Illandra replied interrupting Dansaryn's coming tirade. "Offer an apology? Do you want me to stand in the center of town and grovel for your appointments? To tell everyone what a good person you are and how much you care about them? Or should tell everyone how much better our town would be once you were in charge, making the big decisions, leading them like lost sheep since they're not capable of making their own decisions?" Cautiously avoiding her guardians, she heard Dansaryn and Galyn stepping round her, their images in front of the sun become black silhouettes by it. She immediately knew something was wrong by the way they walked and the sound of Dansaryn's voice when he spoke again."I cannot afford to have you in my way any longer." A sudden blur of movement by Dansaryn alarmed her guardians. Beside Illandra Nolta' fur bristled and so did Alowa's. Nolta even began to show his teeth and a slight growl escaped his throat. Dansaryn and Galyn had never threatened her before physically however, her intuition, perhaps too late, told her this time was different. He opened his hands and just before he slapped them together Illandra could see a dark green powder in one hand and a light brown root in another. When his hands slapped together a flash of light burst forth and Illandra felt her protective 'mask' fly off her head but before she could cover her eyes, the sudden brightness of the sun and then a second flash sent searing pain into them.
