The Land of Darkness
Third book in the Sacred Sites Series

JADIEL is twelve and things couldn't get much worse-or could they? Not only is her mother dead from a tragic accident, but her father, KA'REL, remarried the most vile and abusive woman-HULDAH-to be his wife. Now she lives in the manor with Huldah and her cruel step-sisters, practically ignored by her father, who simmers under Huldah's intoxicating enchantment. To all observers, Huldah is gorgeous, young, and graceful. But Jadiel sees through the thin veneer of magic to the ugly witch beneath-and when Huldah realizes the child has discovered her secret, she plots to kill her.

But then Huldah learns the legend of a tree whose leaves, when ingested, grant eternal youth and beauty. She threatens Jadiel, sending her off to fetch them by the next full moon-or she will murder Ka'rel. After Jadiel leaves, Huldah stages her death, hoping Jadiel's father will forget his daughter. When he refuses to stop searching for her, Huldah changes him into a hawk and tethers him to her dresser. Ka'rel escapes and flies off in search of Jadiel, hoping somehow to warn her.

Meanwhile, a woodworker named CALLEN (from The Wolf of Tebron) discovers ancient drawings of a scrolled bridge. His curiosity sparked, he takes leave from his apprenticeship to search for this mysterious bridge, and as he journeys, uncovers strange clues and riddles tied to this structure. Jadiel, meanwhile sets out on her journey only to be captured by slave traders. Callen rescues her, then learns she is her employer's niece. He wants to take her home but she insists she must find the leaves.

Callen promises to accompany and protect her, and, together, they travel to the perilous King's Plain, following the hints of an ugly stranger named EBED, a man who seems to know much about the things they seek, but who speaks in parables and warns Callen of danger. Their journey takes them to many lands, searching for the tree and the bridge. Ka'rel, in hawk form, finds Jadiel, but Callen shoots him with his bow, injuring him. Jadiel nurses the hawk back to health and keeps him with her, not knowing he is her father. Their search for answers takes them to the desert kingdom of Ethryn, to Sherborne to meet with King ADIN (from The Map Across Time), and finally to the Land of Darkness, where they learn the secret of the bridge. Along the way, Ebed, joins them. When the inhabitants in the Land of Darkness learn the newcomers are looking for the bridge, they attack in fury. Ebed shows Callen and Jadiel the bridge, which can only be seen with eyes of faith, and they cross it and find themselves in a beautiful kingdom surrounded by the trees Jadiel seeks.

Jadiel and Callen hurry home with the leaves just in time, but Huldah has bespelled Ka'rel to die the moment she arrives. As Jadiel enters the house, the hawk drops dead. Huldah stuffs the leaves in her mouth, but doesn't understand that only those who have crossed the bridge can benefit from their immortal properties. She dies, but Ka'rel revives when Jadiel puts the leaves in his mouth. Callen and Jadiel now understand all the riddles and clues, and most importantly, see that Ebed is the bridge-the one sent to link the mortal with immortality, for those who believe in and trust him.