A heart-rending story of survival in one of the most inhospitable environments for humankind, of magic etched into the eons, of soul-bonded love, and of profound loss.
1430, on a remote Scottish island...
While recovering after his visit to the Otherworld, Rindan develops an unusual gift. When he falls asleep, his spirit leaves his body and wanders his island to escape the disembodied voice harassing him. By day, he trains Indris, a young refugee, to hunt birds and climb cliffs. He decides that at summer's end he will climb Stac Worth, declare himself a man, and leave the island for good.
Isolba, a maiden bearing the disguise of Indris, struggles to maintain her facade while her body begins to change. Her yearning for Rindan's love makes the pretense even more unbearable. When her father visits the island, she is forced into hiding. Her growing ability to walk between worlds leads to a foray into the land of the faeries. Cloaked by the magic of the wee ones, she shows Rindan her true form.
Rindan is unaware that Indris' brotherly affection is something else, that the youth is not who he claims to be and is someone entirely different-someone deeply in love with him. Though consoled that his lass from the Otherworld exists, a few of the island maidens seek Rindan's favor, and his lonely heart responds. Isolba burns with jealousy, but is helpless in stopping him. She cannot tell him who she is, not until it is safe. Will the supernatural betray her first?
