Connor Coyne Libri

"On a spell-bitten night, at the waning of the year, when the mums were in bloom and rotting apples spiced the air, Shalm set out to fetch a flagon of mead from the Lantern."So begins a great adventure, and a great friendship as Shalm, a sullen hay baler / corn desheather / warrior, fleeing deadly secrets from her past seeks a mysterious a single drink of mead.It will be harder than she imagines. The Lich of Lichigan and his servants have forced the city of Firestone to drink poisoned waters. Now, the desperate residents have consumed every potable drop of cider, wine, beer, and yes, mead. In her honey-driven quest, Shalm stumbles upon Jayn, a mischievous scrollmaster who speaks of a a silver sieve that can purify the most polluted waters.This is a treasure that could be traded for the finest mead in the realm (and maybe help the poor people of Firestone along the way); but the Sieve has been lost, and Firestone is full of enemies, from jealous magistrates to murderous managers to vast terrors without name and beyond time. Shalm and Jayn have but one night to seize the Sieve and claim their reward... but much may happen before dawn.

"In the realm of Lichigan, near the village of Nasty Hatchet, in deep woods there rests a rock." Shalm has little affection for the remote frontier village of Nasty Hatchet, but it has become her sanctuary in need. Ever since she arrived, hungry and in the company of a young boy named Alders, the suspicious town has been a haven for the reclusive warrior. Beyond the villagers' prying, her concerns include securing enough food to last the winter and dissuading Alders from hunting expeditions with their charismatic landlord. That all changes when a monster breaches the walls of the town by daylight, ravaging livestock and threatening the villagers. Some local youth have gone missing, and an enchanted rock deep in the forest may be part of the mystery as well. Plied with promises of safety and prosperity, Shalm reluctantly sends her seeming son off to safety, and joins the local sorcerer on a quest to discover what is rotten in Nasty Hatchet.