First Rider's Call by Kristen Britain - Fantasy - SFBookcase.com - Reference of Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels/Authors.

Series: Green Rider
Volume: 2
Genre: Fantasy
ISBN: 0756402093
Pages: 736 pages
Publisher: DAW Books
Price: $24.95
Reader Rating: 9 out of 10
Votes: 14

First Rider's Call by Kristen Britain

Description: Karigan G'ladheon had been a Green Rider, one of the king of Sacoridia's elite magical messengers. Being a Green Rider was more perilous than Karigan had ever imagined, for Shawdell, a rogue Eletian, had cracked the magical D'Yer Wall which had protected Sacoridia for a thousand years from the evil influence of Blackveil Forest—the arboreal prison of Sacoridia's ancient enemy Mornhavon the Black—and had brought the threat of dark magic back into the land. In the messenger service she had been caught up in a world of deadly danger, sometimes in magical realms she never knew existed; and though she had defeated the Eletian and played an essential role in saving the king's throne, she had nonetheless been tainted by wild magic.

Exhausted in body and spirit, and determined to be the mistress of her own destiny, Karigan had returned to her home in Corsa. But Karigan's determination was no match for the Rider's call. Ghostly hoofbeats beat like a rhythm in the deep regions of her mind, heralding visions of the freedom of the ride, and when she awoke to find herself on horseback half the way to Sacor City—in her nightgown—she finally gave in.

Back at court Karigan found the Green Riders weakened and diminished. Veteran Riders had been killed yet few new Riders had heard the call. Rider magic was becoming unreliable, and strangest of all, she was having ghostly visions—visions of a strong woman with wild flowing hair and a blue and green tartan draped across her shoulder, pinned with a golden brooch. This woman was no stranger to Karigan nor would she have been to any Green Rider, for she was Lil Ambriodhe, First Rider, and founder of the Green Rider corps.