Publisher's Synopsis
The main protagonist, the 16-year-old Amanda, grew up in a small inn near the village of Dalmally. She lived a simple and protected life with a loving father and grandmother till one cold January morning some dreadful news shattered her life."Clouds of snow drifted across the frozen meadow like bands of golden gossamer as morning broke over Glen Orchy. Amanda lay awake in her cosy bed and gazed dreamily at the crystalline ice flowers that covered her window. Soon she would have to get up and help her grandmother to prepare some food for the early travellers. Today was the first market day after Hogmanay so that the inn would be bustling with travelling tradesman, farmers and people from the surrounding villages and hamlets. Amanda looked forward to the stories and the latest news but most of all, to the visit of her friends. It is going to be a fantastic day, she thought as she closed her eyes, hoping that she could remain in bed a bit longer. Little did she know that the news she longed to hear would shatter her life and replace her feeling of serenity with fear and tribulation. And soon, very soon, she would learn that her survival depended on her friend's loyalty, the ability to fight and the help from beings she considered to be a vivid imagination of the old folks."
