Aspect of Crow Series by Jeri Smith-Ready

It is seven years after the collapse of modern civilization, and the world is entering a new Dark Age. Can best friends Elysia and Darien trust the animal spirits that are beckoning them to escape into the wilderness and create a new way of life? And will they give in to the mutual passion they've always denied? Don't miss this thrilling prequel story set in the same world as Jeri Smith-Ready's Aspect of Crow trilogy: Eyes of Crow, Voice of Crow and The Reawakened.

For Rhia was bound to the Spirit of Crow, gifted with the foresight of Death's approach and doomed to the isolation of one feared and set apart. There must always be one whose magic can ease the passage of the people of Asermos to the Other Side. But to be the guide her people require, to truly know the depth of her gift--her curse--Rhia must surrender herself to the wisdom of the Great Forest…and drink deeply of Death itself... moreFor Rhia was bound to the Spirit of Crow, gifted with the foresight of Death's approach and doomed to the isolation of one feared and set apart. There must always be one whose magic can ease the passage of the people of Asermos to the Other Side. But to be the guide her people require, to truly know the depth of her gift--her curse--Rhia must surrender herself to the wisdom of the Great Forest…and drink deeply of Death itself. And though two powerful men stand ready to aid her, even to love her, the Aspect of Crow demands unthinkable sacrifices from one who walks its path. less

In pain, in fear, and in longing—with every passing Rhia hears the cries of the departed. This "gift" from the ancient and mysterious Crow gives Rhia an intimate connection to death. One that holds her soul hostage to the Other Side-even as her people are threatened by the enemies they call Descendants. But a new prophecy offers hope: Rhia's infant son may hold the key to freedom. And then he is stolen from her... moreIn pain, in fear, and in longing—with every passing Rhia hears the cries of the departed. This "gift" from the ancient and mysterious Crow gives Rhia an intimate connection to death. One that holds her soul hostage to the Other Side-even as her people are threatened by the enemies they call Descendants. But a new prophecy offers hope: Rhia's infant son may hold the key to freedom. And then he is stolen from her. To save her family, protect her home, and reclaim her soul, Rhia will travel as far as she must. To the Descendants’ towering white city...even to the Land of the Dead itself. less

She is Rhia, bound to the Spirit of Crow and gifted with vision. In a world besieged by escalating conflict, fate has marked her to deliver the Reawakened from oppression. Now, with a mighty army of Descendants threatening to crush what's left of her people's magic, she must trust an ancient prophecy and accept the power that is her birthright�the power of life and death itself. For while the storm of revolution rages, the legacy of the Reawakened is about to be rewritten…in her family's blood.