As they take refuge in ancient caves and dense forests, cross cold rapids, and travel by the dark of night, Tasha and her companions -- the wanderer Ari, the kitchen boy Gil, and the child Raina -- flee a repressive kingdom. Their journey holds many questions for Tasha. What secrets does Ari carry? Can she and little Raina really trust him? What are the papers they must steal from The Capital? Will they safely reach the Great North River, and will Marko be waiting for them if they do? Here is a story of high adventure, set in a world removed from, but not unlike, our own.