Murder. Monsters. Magic. These words belong in newspaper articles and children's stories, not Meaghan's carefully planned life. But the day red-eyed creatures crash through her front door and brutally murder her parents, she learns the truth. Monsters exist. Magic is real. And Meaghan's life has been built on a lie. Now she has a choice--face the monsters alone or escape through a portal into the distant land of her birth.It isn't much of a choice. Ærenden is a land more beautiful and sinister than Meaghan could have ever imagined. Vines attack. Monkeys freeze their victims with a glare. Soldiers create bombs from thin air. Even Meaghan's newly discovered empath power turns into a danger she cannot control. But control becomes the least of her worries when she learns the truth behind the kingdom's fifteen-year civil war--a long-buried secret that could cost Meaghan her life.B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree2014 Best Kindle Book Awards FinalistABNA QuarterfinalistBook 1 of the Ærenden Series