Book excerpt: From the author of the critically acclaimed The Kira Chronicles trilogy, comes a story set in the wild and beautiful ancient Scottish landscape of the Caledonian Forest.Etaine is an Eadar Ranger: white-skinned, black-haired and emerald-eyed. Sworn to protect, she fights Fada, religious zealots determined to replace the Eadar's Serpent Goddess with their own gods of stone.When the Ranger bands come together and Etaine meets Cormac, she is convinced she has found her longed for true-mate. The pure blood of the ancient Eadar runs strong in Etaine and Cormac's veins, and their joining has the potential to open the Emerald and Serpent Ways to them; old worlds only true-Eadar can enter.But their love affair goes tragically amiss, with catastrophic consequences.The years pass and Etaine slowly rebuilds her life but Fada attacks escalate until the Eadar are forced to fight for their very existence.As Fada mass to commit more bloody slaughter, the bands join and Etaine comes under Cormac's command, the last Eadar she ever wants to see again. Together they have a weapon that can defeat Fada, but to use it, Etaine must learn to trust again and Cormac to Remember.And time runs short: the Serpent rises.