Book excerpt: In the days of yore, legends and heroes were born and magic thrived. Fairies and nymphs intermingled with human lives. At the Great Gathering in the epicenter of the vast dense forest, the fairy council and Elders meet. There they meet to plot and plan and manipulate the destinies of kings and royalty. They judge their sins and decide their fates. The young hunter Alexander, strides through the forest, stirring the mists as he strolls. A hooded sorceress, Hannah, slinks through the forest and enters a dark cave to visit her sister, Katarina, chained to the cave's slimy walls. Sade, the fairies' protege, emerges from the forest to fulfill the fairies' plan to end the rule of unjust kings. In a circular clearing deep within the forest, Drakkar, the Man-Beast, is raised from the dead to continue his quest for revenge. They are linked by blood and magic. They are the descendants of nymph goddesses--Avani, wood goddess, associated with the forest and trees; Layla, goddess of darkness and night; Marisol, goddess of sun, water, and light; Adara, goddess of wind and fire; Sarika, goddess of earthly pleasures and desire. It's an epic tale of princesses and kings, a tale of secrets, betrayal, misplaced love, and loyalty; a story of heartbreak, lust, greed, and revenge. And the forest, alive with eyes, sees and knows all!