With the murder of his father, Maximillian Torreador had yet another duty placed upon him -- helping his mother to manage the never-ending affairs of the House Royale DeMont. Already, he was a very potent and busy physician, trained by the best of Apollo's clerics. He did not like being over-burdened. As Healer to the Forest Clans, Anastasia Moon-Shadow Dimwater was bound by oath and custom to help her people. And they had accepted her, even though she was only half-elf. Ania, as she preferred to be called, had settled into her rustic life, having fallen in love with and married one of the two chiefs, Trevor Lightwind. Already, they had two daughters. A devastating attack by prejudiced assailants and subsequent forest fire ended Ania's idyllic life. Not only did she lose her beloved husband, but she was also left her utterly alone with two young children at the mercy of a mysterious, powerful man who she did not know if she could trust.