<p> Troubled young Fawn Bluefield seeks a life beyond her family&#146;s farm. But en route to the city, she encounters a patrol of Lakewalkers, nomadic soldier&#150;sorcerers from the northern woodlands. Feared necromancers armed with mysterious knives made of human bone, they wage a secret, ongoing war against the scourge of the "malices," immortal entities that draw the life out of their victims, enslaving human and animal alike. </p> <p> It is Dag&#8212;a Lakewalker patroller weighed down by past sorrows and onerous present responsibilities&#8212;who must come to Fawn&#146;s aid when she is taken captive by a malice. They prevail at a devastating cost&#8212;unexpectedly binding their fates as they embark upon a remarkable journey into danger and delight, prejudice and partnership . . . and perhaps even love. </p>