Read by Emily Shaffer.

In the land of Montane, language is literal magic to the select few who possess the gift of Telling. This power is reserved for the Bards, and, as everyone knows, the Bards have almost always been men. Seventeen-year-old Shae has lived her entire life in awe of the Bards, and afraid of the Blot, a deadly disease spread by ink, which took the life of her younger brother five years ago. Ever since Shae fears she's cursed. But when tragedy strikes again, and her mother is found murdered with a golden dagger, a weapon used only by the Bards, Shae is forced to act. With a heart set on justice, Shae journeys to High House in search of answers. But when the kind, fatherly Cathal, the High Lord of Montane, makes Shae an undeniable offer to stay and train as a Bard, Shae can't refuse.