Weekday Summary
Since I have reached over thirty posts, I thought it was about time to provide a summary for people who might be jumping in late and don't want to start at the beginning. So, I wrote a summary recapping all of the events that happened up to the episode before the boat journey. If you have already read the individual pieces, this will be old news. However, comments and ideas are always appreciated if you see something.

Summary:
The story starts with Elliena Silverspear, a female commander of the kingdom of Curand. She stands over a recent battlefield where the entirety of an invading force from neighboring Gredalia are dead or dying. She sees a single figure moving across the field, and when she goes to investigate, she notices that it is a very young man. She is about to attack him when a soldier of Gredalia rises up and defends the boy, fighting fiercely with a katana. The battle ends with Elliena about to deliver the killing blow when the young boy, Nik, steps in to defend his protector. Elliena refuses to kill the boy or the guardian – Syr. Instead, she lets them escape into the woods. However, a rival officer with a cruel demeanor, Faelyn, arrests her for treason for allowing the Gredalians to escape.

Meanwhile, back near the capital, Elliena’s sister – Rienna – is training in the fields near her home when her childhood companion, Velash, rides up. Velash lets her know that Faelyn is arranging a coup and has some plans set in motion in the political world of the palace to supplant Elliena, possibly at the cost of her life. Rienna immediately rides out to aid her sister while Velash stays behind to keep an eye on the political situation and use his political clout to try and protect Elliena’s interests.

Syr is resting in the woods when Nik uses his magical abilities to heal Syr’s wounds instantaneously. At the same time, Nik tells Syr that Elliena will die if they don’t go to help her. Thy immediately set off to try and find her camp. By the time they get there, the camp is being attacked by bandits. Faelyn actually hired the bandits to attack the camp to have a convenient way for Elliena to be permanently eliminated. While he retreats to leave his prisoner undefended, he underestimates the strength and dedication of her troops who rush to her defense. With the assistance of Syr, they are able to chase off the bandits. Syr is attacked in the midst of Elliena’s troops by one of Faelyn’s personal bodyguards. After an intense battle, Syr kills the bodyguard shortly before he can kill the unconscious Elliena.

They are debating what to do with Syr when the Wilders, a fierce race of people who live in the woods between the two kingdoms, rush out of the woods and attack. They are led by Isen, a fierce warrior who wields a dagger in each hand. The Wilders crush through the line of trained troops using their fury and chaotic style to keep the army from forming any organized defense. In the midst of the combat, Syr saves Elliena by putting her on her horse and sending it galloping into the woods. Before he can join her, he is attacked by a very large Wilder who almost bests him. Syr manages to defeat him only to be confronted by his brother, Isen. Their fight is wild as pure rage is pitted against controlled skill. Both warriors suffer deep wounds but survive. Isen is treated by his medicine doctors while Syr receives Nik’s magical healing.

In the underground tunnels beneath the castle, a secret meeting is held between three people dressed in masks and black cloaks. One wears a lion mask, one wears a demon mask, and the final one wears a black mask with red glass chips in the eye holes. They talk about their plan where they manipulated the king to guarantee that all the Gredalians were killed. One of the meeting attendees goes up to join in the party for nobles that is already in process. His name is Ormu, and he meets with his friend, Velash, before attending to the king.

Velash spends time at the party alternating between trying to protect Elliena and reassure the Lord and Lady Silverspear. While he is there, he becomes intrigued with Uima Kinuce, the daughter of the famous overseas trader Pui Kinuce. They play a dangerous game of flirting until Faelyn arrives with much fanfare. He delivers his report publicly, announcing that Elliena Silverspear is a traitor to the crown. The court excuses itself from the gala and debates the appropriate course of action. They decide to send Faelyn to try and bring her back for a trial. When they make this announcement, Lord Silverspear is enraged and needs to be restrained. The king talks with him and his wife privately to try and reassure them about this course of action. As Faelyn leaves, he is stopped in the hall by Ormu. Ormu implies that Faelyn still needs his help. Faelyn brushes him aside and instead goes to the poor section of town where he prays by a set of graves.

Meanwhile, in the forest, Rienna finds her sister, Syr and Nik. They exchange tales and Syr confesses about Nik’s magical ability. None of them notice Isen in the trees above them. He rushes back to his tribe to assemble a hunting party to attack them in the morning. When morning comes, Elliena and Rienna split from Syr and Nik. The sisters head back towards the capital while Syr and his charge turn north following the edge of the forest. They are attacked by Isen’s hunting party and Nik is held at knifepoint to convince Syr to engage in one on one combat with Isen. The sisters rush back but hold their weapons when they see Nik’s life in danger. The two warriors square off and the battle is long as they are fairly evenly matched. At the end, when Isen is rushing in, a blowgun dart is fired from an unknown assailant and Syr turns to deflect the missile. In that fraction of a second, Isen delivers a lethal blow. While still on an adrenaline rush from his victory, Isen retreats into the woods with Nik and the remaining members of the hunting party. Elliena and Reinna follow at a distance to try and find a way to save Nik from the Wilders.

And now that you are caught up, here is a link the next summary.