the Owl and High Wielders: 1

When a dream Deity begins haunting Aliona's sleep, she knows something is terribly wrong . . . Aliona has spent the last twelve years praying for the Deities to purify her heart. In a kingdom where power is drawn from emotion, she has been taught that sorrow, anger, and chaos invite corruption. Rescued from her heretic father and raised by the Light-wielding royal family, Aliona has devoted her life to their Deity and their doctrine, believing obedience is safety and doubt is a punishable sin. But when a dream Deity begins haunting her with visions of her younger self enduring the royal family's cruelty, her faith fractures. Disturbed and desperate for clarity, Aliona beseeches the royal family for permission to venture beyond the castle walls to secretly seek answers. Reluctantly, the royal family allows her to attend a local university. There she meets a Dark Wielder whose defiance unsettles her as much as it draws her. When he reveals an opportunity to reunite with her father, Aliona is torn between the only life she has ever known and the man who opens her eyes to the deceit surrounding it. But the royal family will not let Aliona go so easily, even if it means making her the enemy. And just like all enemies before her, her opposition may cost her and her friends everything they hold dear.