Book excerpt: A chilling warning. A fragile alliance. Impending doom. Jerrick Bur returns to a home he doesn't recognize. The King's Patrol has vanished. Their Hall stands empty. An invading army encroaches upon the fringes of the forest and folk whisper of a sitheri witch brewing evil from the darkest hollows. Once a patroller, always a patroller, and so Jerrick is duty-bound to investigate. He is joined by Kayra Weslin, knight errant, and her chronicler, Holly, who go to answer a plea for help from nearby Homewood. Along with Murik Alon Rin'kres, an eslar sorcerer who harbors a secret purpose all his own, the four embark upon a mission to unravel the mystery of the missing patrollers and somehow stop an ancient force of darkness from consuming them all. KW: epic fantasy, fantasy, action, adventure, sword and sorcery, magic, witchcraft, witches, witch, wizards, ranger, mercenary, soldier, mysticism, symbolism, woods, forest, dryad, fae, faerie, fairy, goblin, gods, goddesses, devils, demons, myths, legends, deities, thriller, mystery, suspense, battle, female lead, ghost, dark fantasy, haunted forest