Path of Fate

<b>From the back cover of the Roc first edition:</b> "In the land of Kodu Riik, becoming <i>ahalad-kaaslane</i> is the highest honor one can achieve. It means that the Lady has chosen you to bond and be united forever with one of her specially blessed animals - soul to soul... <p>Abandoned by her parents as an infant, Reisil grew up perpetually reminded that she did not belong. There wasn't a moment when she didn't feel like apologizing just for existing - until she became a tark and proudly discovered her talent for healing. <p>Now, when Reisil believes she has finally found the security and sense of belonging she has always craved, she is chosen by the Blessed Lady to be <i>ahalad-kaaslane</i> - one of the judges, soldiers, spies, and explorers who travel the land, bound to no one but the Lady Herself. Devastated by the thought of losing her hard-won place in the world, Reisil rejects the Lady's gift and the <i>ahalad-kaaslane</i> goshawk who needs her. <p>But Reisil's decision does not affect her alone. Soon the fate of all Kodu Riik will rest in her hands - and Reisil will be forced to make a bitter choice to save her people from the horrors of war..."