First rule: hide your true self.

Becka’s secret endangers her life. She’s a winged Centaur in a kingdom now systematically hunting all non-Humans to enslave them—or worse. Her one hope is to use her shapeshifting abilities to hide until her father returns to take her family to safety. But when the army closes in on her secret, Becka can’t wait anymore. If she doesn’t find her father now, she may lose him—or her chance to escape—forever. She’ll do anything to reunite her family—even break into the palace archives to discover her father’s fate.

The last thing she expects to find is a potential ally among the enemy. Locked away in his own castle, young Prince Ryandru also has a secret that has left him desperate for a friend. They’ll have to trust each other to discover the truth they both seek. But with traitors grasping for the throne and Becka’s family in jeopardy, revealing their secrets could destroy all they hold dear.

Winner of the 2024 Realm Award for middle grade fiction