Finding the Light

Life debts, visions, a stone prison, and falling leaves...Nika is gone. She walked into North Manor, into the claws of Sars Rafas, to trade her life for Ecco's. The prince returns to the palace in one piece, but not unscathed. He is locked in his chambers to heal from the wounds Rafas inflicted that could have killed him, and as punishment for defying the king's orders. Ecco's mistakes plague his mind but his feelings of uselessness tear him apart.Ecco is haunted by Nika's absence. He hears her voice and sees her face in place of what is real. She invades his dreams, enticing him to find her, to set her free. His abilities allow him to seek out her mind from a distance, but he cannot find her. Ecco enlists the help of his sister, Rani, to devise a plan that may give them a chance to retrieve Nika from Rafas. First, they have to convince their father, the king, to help.Meanwhile, Kol is torn between following orders and duty to his family. He is perched on a rock outcropping just outside the grounds of North Manor with Garett and Vernier while Ecco's twenty-first birthday celebration approaches. Kol would give anything to be there for his brother, but the three young men have been ordered to watch the manor day and night, not to return to the palace until summoned. Will they be able to follow the king's orders, and what might they see from their lookout above the manor?