Not long ago, Daleina used her strength and skill to prevent the elemental spirits of wood, earth, water, air, fire, and ice from exterminating the human race and assumed the responsibility as Queen of keeping the peace and protected the humans of her land. But now for all her power, if she leaves the world before a new heir is ready, the spirits that inhabit her beloved realm will run wild, destroying her cities and slaughtering her people. Naelin is one such potential heir, but she couldn’t be further removed from the Queen—and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Her world is her two children, her husband, and the remote village tucked deep in the forest that is her home, and that’s all she needs. But when Ven, the Queen’s champion, passes through the village, Naelin’s ambitious husband proudly tells him of his wife’s ability to control spirits—magic that Naelin fervently denies. She knows that if the truth of her abilities is known, it will bring only death and separation from those