Tamara Jenkins is a young woman with a Talent, a glowing heart of wizard’s magic that is only now beginning to show itself. The local Lord of the Unseelie Court, Edward Blacklake, wants to make certain that Tamara never gets a chance to train that Gift or use it. Johann Mayer, a member of the Wizard’s Guild and an elite Guild Warrior, has been dispatched to retrieve Tamara and keep her safe until the Guild can take her under its protection.
Tamara, Johann and the forces of the Unseelie Court meet with explosive results on the shore of Lake Erie and Tamara’s magic, which has lain latent, comes to forceful life. Fleeing for their lives, dodging Blacklake’s forces along the way, Tamara and Johann take refuge on the yacht Lucky 13, awaiting the right moment for their run to Guild headquarters and unaware that they are headed for a final, daunting confrontation with the Unseelie Court.
This novella is a first story written in the world of the author's upcoming full length novel, the first book in the Black Dog series, tentatively titled Hunting the Beast, due out in late 2012 or early 2013.
