Exhausted with life, Dakota tries to end his -- only to be saved at the last moment by his friend Terrell, who then drags him into a world of magic and intrigue that's always been right there, hidden beneath the surface.<br><br>Powerful magic users are steadily pulling the planet into a violent war, and evil forces will stop at nothing to take the talismans possessed by Dakota and his newfound family. Dakota soon finds himself deeply in over his head ... with love, with family, with fighting for all their lives.

The Pyre Starter

Surprisingly, neither of them objected. Dakota assumed Terrell might want his inherited talisman returned, or Eleanor would fight for the mammal-calling talisman. But that didn’t happen. Maybe the guy was too embarrassed. He’d given Dakota something incredibly important. To ask for it back was to admit he’d made a mistake. Perhaps at least part of Terrell still cared for him, too.


Dakota couldn’t see it. Terrell was willing to just up and leave instead of trying to work things out. He and his cousin would get themselves killed. And neither Dakota nor the little girl attached to his hip might even hear about it. They’d simply disappear, and that would be the end of their story.


“We’ll be gone before sunset,” Terrell said absently, donning a couple of the new talismans.


“Good,” he forced out. Turning to the child, “It’s gonna be okay,” he lied. “We’re gonna be okay.”34


Chapter 99