one-year summary
I have just completed the summary of the first year of Spirit Saga. I will place it behind an LJ Cut since it is quite a bit longer than my usual entries.

It might interest you to know that the story encompasses 78 chapters and over 200 pages in my word processing program. I have manage to boil the summary into 12 pages.

I hope this will encourage new readers to join in for our second year, and I apologize for the delay in the next chapter. It took me longer than I expected to write out the summary!


The adventure begins when Leila Sinclair chases a strange creature through the rain and ends up in a completely different world, one that is ravaged by war. Stumbling through the forest, doing her best to avoid the battle fields and strange warriors, she meets Fynn who saves her from an attack before leaving her to find her way back to her village. Alone again, Leila is found by a band of Huryl warriors led by Roric. Roric tells her of the war between his people, the Huryl, and the Dyrel, and offers to bring her to his commander. Leila has little choice but to agree. Roric says the war began when the Dyrel began raiding the villages along the border between the two lands, and that the Huryl King had no choice but to send out troops to retaliate.

That night, Leila sees a face in the campfire, and meets a strange creature in the forest. She is rescued yet again by Fynn, who introduces himself to her, but before she can ask him any questions, Roric appears just as Fynn vanishes. The next morning, Roric brings Leila to Commander Mattis, and Leila tells him the truth about how she arrived in this world. The commander is intrigued, and brings her to see Lady Ellena after promising to find a way to return her home. While in Ellena’s tent, Leila is put under an enchantment and questioned about her world.

That night, Leila is rescued for a third time by Fynn, and this time he takes her with him into the forest and away from the Huryl camp. As they try to leave, they meet a young soldier named Jakob who is Roric’s son. Jakob tries to stop them, and apparently recognizes Fynn from somewhere, but Leila stops Fynn before anyone dies. The two slip away from Jakob and the camp without further incident. Fynn tells Leila that she is needed in this world, that she can see spirits, and then offers her his friendship. When Leila asks who Fynn is, he tells her the legend of the Woodwalker, a servant of the Faerie Queen who steals the souls of the living and gives them to his Queen. Nervous, Leila asks if the stories are true, and Fynn replies that it is up to her to decide that.

The next morning, Fynn is gone and Leila finds her way to a pond to freshen up. In the pond, she sees the face of a water spirit who grabs her and drags her into the water. The spirit keeps repeating that Leila has been promised to them. Once more, Fynn saves her and tells her they must keep moving to avoid the Huryl scouts searching for them. Fynn tells her a bit about the history of this world, how the spirits she can see once ruled it and have since faded into legend and myth with the coming of the human tribes. His story is interrupted with the Huryl scouts find them and Fynn is shot with an arrow. At his order, Leila flees into the forest.

Alone again, Leila meets a tree spirit who is quickly chased away by the appearance of a strange woman dressed in animal skins. She calls herself Ruella and brings Leila to her home. Ruella already knows Leila is not of this world, and that she is traveling with Fynn, but refuses to tell Leila anything more. Instead she pours a strange powder onto Leila’s palm and burns a symbol into the skin which quickly fades from view. Ruella leaves Leila once again the forest alone where she meets more spirits and an elven scout. The elves are the ancient allies of the Dyrel, and the scout tries to bring Leila with him to his camp. Leila refuses and manages to incinerate an arrow that is shot at her, thanks to the mark on her hand. A wolf comes from the forest to help her, and they chase off the elf. With only the wolf for a companion, Leila makes her way to a nearby village to find food and a place to sleep.

In the village, Leila is sheltered by a couple named Sarah and John. They tell her of a prisoner of war that the Huryl have left with them, a man who will neither eat nor speak. Curious, Leila leaves the safety of the house at night and goes to the centre of the village to meet the prisoner. To her surprise, she finds Fynn, although he does not appear to recognize her. The next morning, at the village gathering, Leila confronts the Elder and asks what happened to Fynn. The villagers all agree that he had lost his soul to the Woodwalker, and the Elder tells more about the story. Leila asks how to find the Faerie Queen, hoping to restore Fynn’s soul to him, when the villagers turn on her and accuse her of being a witch. As Leila faced the villagers, the Huryl soldiers appeared to claim Fynn. Leila uses the power of the spirits for the first time to protect her and Fynn, and to escape into the forest. Once safe, Leila removed the heavy iron chains that bound Fynn and he falls unconscious again. The wolf reappears and Leila follows him deeper into the woods, although she is hesitant to leave Fynn behind.

In a glade in the wood, Leila meets a figure with a face that mirrored her own. The figure assures Leila that Fynn will guide her, and that the spirits will help her although she warns that the spirits are childish. The wolf returns to guide her back to the forest as the figure disappears, and Leila quickly finds herself surrounded by Roric and the Huryl soldiers. Roric asks her to go with him, and Leila refuses. The Huryl attack and the wolf leaps to Leila’s rescue even though the spirits refuse to come to her call. She is rescued by a group of scouts dressed in forest green who chase off the Huryl but not before Leila is shot through the shoulder by an arrow.

Meanwhile, Fynn speaks with the spirits whom Leila asked to guard him while he recovered. The forest, fire, and water spirits bicker over who Leila asked to undergo the task, each claiming that she was promised to them first. When Fynn hears Leila being attacked and calling for the spirits to help, none of the three spirits move until she chooses one who will serve. Fynn runs from the arguing spirits and arrives in time to see Leila on the ground with the arrow in her shoulder, and women dressed in green helping her. He asks the wolf to protect her and disappears back into the forest.

Leila wakes up in the Dyrel city of Oponoe, with a summons to meet with the Dyrel Prince. She meets Gael, the prince’s physician, who has bound her shoulder and helped it heal. The wolf is also with Leila and has remained constantly at her side. Gael asks that the wolf be left behind when she visits the prince. The prince introduces himself as Damaeon and asks her a great many questions about her world. He also tells her of the prophecy that had been made to the people of Oponoe centuries ago, that a Promised Child would come from another world to usher in an era of peace for the Dyrel. Damaeon tells her the true cause of the war, how the Huryl stole something precious from the Dyrel’s elven allies and how the Dyrel entered Huryl territory in pursuit of the thief. He asks Leila to help him stop the war.

Outside Oponoe, Fynn wanders through the forest until he meets up with Ruella. The two seem to be old acquaintances. Ruella takes the iron arrowhead out of Fynn’s shoulder, where it had been embedded when he was shot. They speak of Leila, calling her “the one” and Fynn promises to take her to visit the Queen soon.

The following day, Damaeon takes Leila on a tour of Oponoe. Joining them is the Captain of the Prince’s Guard, Clothis. She is the woman who rescued Leila from the Huryl and brought her to Oponoe. In the market, she sees three dying tree spirits whose wood is being sold for firewood. She reaches out with her marked hand and touches the hand of the dying spirit, to the confusion of Damaeon and Clothis. As she does, the merchant’s stall bursts into flames and the people of Oponoe accuse Leila of being a witch. Leila stops the fire by commanding the fire spirits to depart, only to be brought before Damaeon by the people for a witch-trial. Damaeon tells her that the only humans who can use magic are those who have sold their souls to the Woodwalker, and in exchange have been given powers. Ordinary humans call those people witches and shun them. When Leila admits that she can see and command spirits, Damaeon proclaims her to be the Promised Child of the ancient prophecy and the townspeople all rejoice. The prince commands Clothis to guard Leila, but when Leila goes into her room she finds the wolf dead and a kidnapper hiding. Before Clothis can stop it, Leila is taken.

Clothis tracks Leila’s kidnapper through the Spirit Wood where she meets Fynn. As Fynn tries to take her soul, Clothis tells him that she is in pursuit of Leila and Fynn strikes a truce with her. The two join forces to find Leila.

Leila wakes to find herself in a closed carriage with Roric, being taken to the Tower for her own safety, by order of the Huryl King. Roric tells her that she cannot be the Promised Child of the Dyrel since she is destined to fulfill the Huryl prophecy. Once in the Tower, Leila reads the prophecy of the Huryl and learns that their promised Warrior was said to bestow the greatest power in the world upon the mightiest Huryl warrior.

Clothis and Fynn continue their search for Leila. When Clothis enters a village for information, she learns that Leila is dead. Fynn insists that Clothis keep looking for Leila, and Clothis realizes that Fynn cannot leave the Spirit Wood. If he leaves, he becomes weak and he does not know what would happen if he were gone for a long time. Suddenly, Fynn is taken to Faerie, leaving Clothis to track Leila alone. He meets with the Faerie Queen who orders him to forget about Leila. The Queen reminds him that his kind are all dead and he is loyal to her alone, but Fynn insists on helping Leila. Finally the Queen agrees to let Fynn leave the forest, but he must be prepared to face any consequences. Fynn bows to her and leaves the world of Faerie.

At the Tower, Mattis arrives to escort Leila to the Huryl King. In the carriage, Lady Ellena waits and apologizes for bewitching Leila. After a short trip into the mountains, they arrive at a large tent-city where the king has made camp for himself and his followers. Mattis brings Leila to the largest tent and to the fat king of the Huryl. King Cedrik demands the powers that Leila is said to possess so he might win the war against the Dyrel. Leila replies that she doesn’t know that he’s the mightiest Huryl, and Ellena proposes a test to see if Leila truly is the warrior of legend.

Meanwhile, Fynn arrives at the edge of the Spirit Wood and summons all the spirit tribes for council. He demands to know why the spirits have forsaken Leila, whom they swore to help and protect. The tribes insist that Leila choose which group of spirits she will serve, and Fynn replies that she cannot choose if the tribes ignore her. The tribes are less than thrilled at this answer.

Back at the Huryl encampment, Leila meets Jakob once more, the only Huryl soldier to offer her any kindness. He says he will help her escape, and that the King is going to have her fight the strongest Huryl warrior. Jakob doesn’t believe in the Huryl prophecy, and does not want to see Leila die needlessly, so he offers to return her to the Woodwalker. Leila is put in an arena with a large Huryl warrior and must face him unarmed. She asks for the spirits, who finally come to her aid, and she causes a sandstorm through which she is able to escape into the mountains with Jakob.

Careful to avoid Huryl search patrols, Jakob leads Leila through the mountains. They are attacked, and the Huryl ask Jakob to surrender her, but he refuses. He says he has promised to protect her. As the Huryl fight with Jakob, Leila screams for them to stop and several large rock spirits arrive to save them. They reveal themselves to Jakob and bring both of them to their home, where they are already holding Clothis captive. Leila is surprise to see her, and instantly she and Jakob begin to fight. The rock spirits explain that the world has been promised to the spirit tribes by their Queen, and that one who could return the world to them would one day arrive. Each tribe wants dominance over the world, and Leila will choose which tribe gets it. Angry that she is nothing more than a pawn, Leila runs from the spirits and her friends deeper into the mountains.

Left alone, Jakob and Clothis put aside their differences as Huryl and Dyrel to follow Leila and keep her safe, united in their admiration and respect for her. They find Leila with the strange mountain man Cireno, who found her after she ran off. Leila angrily yells at her former companions and during a brief fight, Jakob plunges off a cliff. Leila is crushed, thinking that she was the one who killed her friend. Cireno comforts her and tries to persuade her to stay with him in the mountains. As Clothis speaks of Jakob, Cireno confesses that he wants to keep Leila with him so the war between the Huryl and Dyrel will never end until both sides are dead. Consumed by her grief for Jakob and anger at Cireno, Leila allows the spirits to possess her completely. She uses their power to incinerate Cireno. When he is gone, she turns to see Fynn and Jakob standing behind her, Fynn having asked the rock spirits to catch Jakob as he fell from the cliff, saving his life.

Leila feels guilty for doubting her friends, and more guilty for murdering Cireno. Fynn warns her not to use the spirits lightly, but Leila is too consumed in her own thoughts to take the warning to heart. Fynn assures her that he is not after her power. The next morning, Clothis confides in Leila that Fynn should not leave the forest, which is the source of his power. They make their way out of the mountains to the edge of the Spirit Wood, where they find Mattis and part of the Huryl army waiting for them, armed with flaming torches. Mattis demands the return of Jakob and Leila, or he will torch the wood. Fynn refuses the demand, and as he and Clothis fight, Leila tries to summon the spirits to stop the wood from burning. Jakob begs her not to, but she assures him she’ll be fine. By trying to control the fire spirits, Leila loses herself to them.

The group flees into the desert, and Fynn uses some of his power to return Leila to herself. They move deeper into the desert to avoid the Huryl army, who believe the desert to be haunted. After walking for a while, they find a man tied to a rock, left to die. He’s gone mad from the sun, but Leila insists that they cut him down. He says his name is Will and offers to lead them to a place where they can shelter for the night. They make their way to a Tyrzel fortress which Will tells them is haunted by the spirits of the slaughtered Tyrzel, who held the fortress against the Huryl tribe.

That night, the group is attacked by the ghosts of the Tyrzel and they all become separated from one another. Leila goes through the ruins to try to find her friends. While searching, she encounters the ghost of her dead twin brother, Nathan. She quickly sees through the deception and continues to find the others. Each is locked in a personal nightmare, reenacted for their eyes only by the ghosts. Leila saves Clothis from her inner demons and the two find Jakob and Fynn locked in battle. Jakob believes Fynn to be his father, and Fynn yells at Leila to break the spell on him, telling her that they’re not facing ghosts but sand spirits. Leila releases Jakob from the spell, dispersing the spirits back into the desert, before falling unconscious.

Fynn tries to save her by giving her some of his diminishing strength, but it is not enough to free her mind from the spirits. At Will’s suggestion, they make their way further into the desert in search of the nomadic Tyrzel tribe, and a witch doctor. They find a tribe at a nearby oasis, and to everyone’s surprise, Jakob can speak their language. He brings Leila to the doctor while the others rest by the water, Clothis fussing over the weakened Fynn. The witch doctor said the spirits must be exorcised, but Fynn insists that they remain with Leila until she learns to control them. Locked in her own mind, Leila struggles with the spirits for control until she finally breaks through and is brought to her own mind again. Suddenly, word spreads among the Tyrzel that the Huryl army is on its way. Leila and her friends go back into the desert, hoping to slip past the army and end up in the Wood.

The group is found by a Huryl scouting party and, in spite of putting up a fight, they are captured. Leila wakes up in Mattis’ tent, where he demands that she give her power to Cedrik. He threatens to kill Leila’s friends if she doesn’t do as he commands, and Leila strikes a deal with him. She promises to give up the power he asks once she is certain that her friends are alive and safely away from the Huryl camp. Ellena takes Leila to her friends and heals them, while Leila explains her plan to them and leaves a key with them so they can unlock their chains. Leila is returned to Mattis, who admits that he is after her power for himself and not for his king. Overnight, Leila causes a sand storm that engulfs the camp and allows her friends to escape. Mattis is furious, but content to still have Leila. As he uses Ellena to get Leila’s power by force, she transforms the desert into glass using the fire spirits within her, trapping the Huryl soldiers and Mattis. As she moves to finish the commander off, Ellena stops her. She tries again to kill Mattis when she hears Fynn calling to her, reminding her of Cireno. She recalls the spirits and returns to her friends.

They decide to go by sea to return to Oponoe as quickly as possible. En route to the fishing village, where Jakob believes they can find a ship to Oponoe, Leila and Jakob speculate about Will’s past. Jakob immediately thinks that Will is a traitor like himself, who was caught and brought to the Tower as punishment. Jakob warns Leila that not all Huryl soldiers are as kindhearted as he is, and perhaps it is best to keep Will’s past a mystery. At the village, they find a vessel willing to take them to the Dyrel capital, but as they board Leila notices Fynn acting strangely and begins to worry about him again. Once on board, they travel swiftly and Leila spends her time on deck watching the dolphins leaping in the ship’s wake. Leila learns something of Clothis’ past while speaking to her, and begins to think about the end of her adventure, wondering what kind of life she would return to in her world.

Suddenly Jakob calls to her and brings her below decks, where Fynn is resting. He is unconscious and barely alive, his skin translucent as it had been when he had been struck with the iron arrow. Clothis explains that he is losing his connection to this world, since he needs to be touching the earth to remain a part of it. Leila is worried that he will die and asks the spirits within her to sustain him during the trip, in spite of Clothis and Jakob begging her to stop. She loses consciousness and when she wakes up, Fynn is gone. Jakob arrives to explain that they have arrived in Dyrel territory and that he has already carried Fynn to the deck. He chides Leila for foolishly opening herself to Fynn, reminding her that he is the Woodwalker and could steal her soul. On deck, Leila can see the extent of the devastation of the fire on the Spirit Wood. The sailors row them to shore and as they start to walk through the forest, Fynn disappears. Clothis explains that he was called back to Faerie by the Queen. Leila decides that it would be better for them to go directly to Oponoe and warn Damaeon of the imminent Huryl attack.

As they walk, Jakob notes that the Huryl army was divided into thirds. They met a third in the desert, a third was on the battlefield with the Dyrel, and the remaining third along with the commander and king, was unaccounted for. They make their way through the forest, Leila assaulted by the voices of the spirits accusing her of not protecting them as she promised to do. When they come into sight of Oponoe, they see that they are too late to do anything. The Huryl have already attacked and, although the city is still in Dyrel control, it is nearly in ruins. They burst into the palace where they see the main hall filled with wounded tended by Gael, and Clothis demands to be taken to the Prince, who lead the defense of the city two days ago. Gael tells them that Damaeon was wounded and is near death, then brings Clothis to him. Leila, Jakob, and Will remain behind and Leila is confronted by the wounded soldiers who demand to know why she was not there to save them. She flees, and later is found by Jakob who calms her down by asking her about her world. Leila explains about her family and the death of her twin brother Nathan, who was struck by a car while crossing the street to meet her. Leila is worried about Damaeon and Fynn. Jakob leaves her to ponder her decision about what to do next.

Later, Leila meets Jakob and Will in the kitchens, where they are hiding until Damaeon recovers enough to grant them asylum. Leila decides she owes it to the Dyrel to stay in Oponoe and help them recover from the battle. She goes to visit Damaeon and finds Gael and Clothis with him as he sleeps. The Prince wakes as Leila approaches and forgives her for not being with them before falling asleep again. Gael begs Leila to use the spirits to save him, and Leila refuses since she does not want to kill the prince trying. Clothis, overhearing the conversation, is angry at Leila for her refusal and yells at her. Hurt and betrayed, Leila flees from the city and into the forest where she meets Ruella and confesses all her worries. Ruella offers Leila the opportunity to save Damaeon, if she is willing to accept the prince. Leila says she is, and the power of the spirits flow into her until she feels like she is drowning. Leila returns to Oponoe and sees Jakob, who immediately notices a change in her. Leila returns to Damaeon’s room and heals him, but once she is done the spirits claim her for themselves and she vanishes.

Clothis blames herself for what happened to Leila and hurries to find Jakob and Will. Jakob already believes Leila is dead, and that the person he saw he was her ghost until Clothis tells him what happened in Damaeon’s chambers. They head to the Spirit Wood, following Will who is the only person besides Leila and Fynn who can see the spirits. Will is very reluctant to go. They meet Ruella, who explains to them how the spirits managed to capture Leila, and that Leila paid the price the spirits asked for in order to get the power to save Damaeon. Clothis yells at the spirits until Leila appears and attacks them. Suddenly Fynn appears, full of anger and fights for Leila, eventually freeing her from the spirits. Fynn gathers Leila in his arms and carries her away with the others only steps behind.

Once safely away, Fynn demands to know what happened and Clothis explains. Ruella appears and admits she was the one who taught Leila the spell to summon the spirits to her. Fynn kisses Leila, extracting her soul and quickly returning it to her in order for her to regain her humanity from the spirit world. Once the soul is extracted, however, the Faerie Queen’s voice echoes through the wood, claiming Leila for herself. The Queen takes Leila, and she vanishes from the wood. Fynn explains that they can go to Faerie to try and get Leila back, but he cannot go against his mistress and would be their enemy there.

Fynn transports Jakob, Clothis, and Will to Faerie. Once there, Ruella appears to guide them to the Faerie Court. As they walk, Ruella tells them of her past, how she gave her soul to the Faerie Queen in exchange for magical powers. They arrive at the Court and meet the Queen, seated on a throne made of silver oak. Leila is at her feet, her head resting on the Queen’s lap and a dead expression in her eyes. Fynn is standing next to her dressed in white, his eyes forward and betraying no emotions. Jakob demands Leila’s return and steps towards the Queen, only to have Fynn shoot an arrow through his shoulder. The Queen is displeased that Fynn did not kill the human. Will steps forward to argue their case, without any sign of his usual madness. Will proposes a contest; if they win, Leila is returned to them. If the Queen wins, she will also get Jakob, Clothis, and Will’s souls. The Queen accepts and offers them the choice between a Test of Wit or a Test of Skill.

They choose the Test of Wit, and Clothis volunteers to be champion. The Faerie Queen removes Clothis’ vision and seals her in a thorny maze, where she must reach the centre. Blind, Clothis stumbles through the maze, avoiding all the traps the Queen sets for her. She reaches the centre to find Fynn waiting for her. He orders her to draw her sword and they fight. Fynn wins, knocking Clothis down and standing with the point of his sword at her throat. The Queen declares herself the champion. Will stops her by stealing the silver locket she wears around her neck. The Queen is outraged, but offers to release Leila and the others if Will returns the locket. Will tries to cut a deal, saying the locket will be returned when they are safely out of Faerie, but the Queen refuses. As they all watch, Fynn stabs Clothis through the heart.

Jakob draws his sword and attacks Fynn, and in the chaos Will grabs Leila and pulls her away from the Faerie Queen. Leila is freed from the spell she was under and warns the Queen that her people will not go unscathed, even though no promise was made to them. Leila uses her newfound power to transport her friends out of Faerie, including Clothis. Once in the real world, Will tries to explain some things to Leila before his madness returns, but Leila is too angry at him to listen. He gives the locket to Leila, telling her not to put it on but to keep it safe. Leila goes to Clothis and tells Jakob there is nothing she can do to save her friend. They all return to Oponoe, where they meet Damaeon outside the palace steps.

They bring Clothis to the mausoleum inside the palace and lay her with the other princes and princesses of Oponoe. While staring at the dead soldier, Damaeon tells Leila of her past, how he found her in the streets of Oponoe and brought her to the palace. He knew Clothis was in love with him, but he did not return the feeling. The memoriam is interrupted by a stranger at the gates seeking asylum and warning of an approaching Huryl attack. Damaeon and Leila meet the stranger only to see that it is Lady Ellena, asking Damaeon for protection in return for information about the Huryl army.

As Damaeon and Leila listen to her plea, Leila realizes belatedly that Ellena is casting a spell. The Prince, however, has already agreed to grant sanctuary to the sorceress. Damaeon puts Ellena in Leila’s care, and as they are walking to the tower where Ellena will be kept as a prisoner of war, she asks to see Clothis. Leila reluctantly agrees when Ellena tells her that it was Fynn who spoke of Clothis’ death. While in the tomb, Leila uses the forest spirits to see if Ellena’s warning of an impending Huryl attack was true, and Ellena urges Leila to take Clothis’ sword saying that she must wield the blade of the one who died for her. The guards interrupt them with reports that the Huryl have been spotted in the woods, and Ellena is quickly brought to the tower.

In the hallway, as Leila searches for the Prince, she meets a young soldier named Cyrus who agrees to escort her to the walls where the prince has set up his command centre against the assault. Leila delivers her message that the full force of the Huryl won’t attack until the next day, and returns quickly to the palace to avoid being caught in the fighting. As she goes, she spots Jakob helping lead the Dyrel resistance while the Huryl pound on the gates of Oponoe. In the palace, Leila meets up with Gael who asks her to deal with Will. Leila finds Will in the closet where Jakob had left him, angry that Ellena is in the palace and wanting to go and kill her. Leila makes him promise not to kill the sorceress and returns to where Gael is anxiously awaiting news from the attack. Leila uses the spirits to spy on the action until the wounded start coming in. The Dyrel push back the attack and that night, Leila wanders through the gardens where she meets Fynn for the first time since Clothis’ death. Leila yells at him for killing Clothis, but Fynn makes no apology and only asks about the necklace Will took from the Faerie Queen.

The next morning, the Dyrel prepare for the full attack of the Huryl. Leila is eager to help with the fight and offers her services at the front. Damaeon and Jakob are very reluctant, wanting Leila to escort the remaining civilians to the caves behind Oponoe. Leila, however, chooses to fight and the task of evacuating the people falls to Cyrus. During the battle, Leila does her best to help the Dyrel, using the spirits to protect them and hinder the Huryl. She creates an army from the earth and has them join Damaeon’s struggling troops, only to find that when one of them is destroyed the injury materializes on her own flesh. Finally, when she plans to strike Mattis and end the war, Ellena appears behind her and knocks her unconscious.

When Leila wakes up, she finds herself in the palace wrapped in bandages. Jakob is there with a meal for her and says Ellena is in the dungeon for attacking Leila. In turn, Leila explains about the soldiers she created and how she received so many injuries. Jakob is frustrated at Leila for risking her life to save a world she doesn’t belong to, and Leila counters that she is trying to save it for him and her friends. Later, Leila sneaks into the dungeon to speak to Ellena. Ellena explains about her relationship with Mattis and how she must stop any harm from coming to him. As Leila leaves, Ellena tells her about the silver acorn, the key to stopping the war between the Huryl and Dyrel. Outside the dungeon, Leila meets Jakob and Damaeon. The Prince agrees that the acorn would help stop the war, and allows Leila to leave the city to go speak with the Elven Queen, who had been the guardian of the silver acorn.

Leila meets Will, who is very distraught when she mentions the Elven Queen and Leila promises that nothing will happen to Will if he stays with her. Leila is summoned to the throne room, where she meets Damaeon, Jakob and the elven guide Safyra. They make arrangements to leave, and Leila goes to visit Clothis one last time. While there, she remembers what Ellena had said, and decides to take Clothis’ sword with her. She meets up with Will and as the two of them are hurrying to join Jakob and Safyra, she bumps into Damaeon. The Prince is surprised to see Clothis’ sword, but helps buckle it to Leila’s back and hopes that it will protect her. Outside, Safyra sees Will and proclaims that she will not travel with him, accusing him of causing all her suffering. Safyra warns Leila that Will will betray her, and grudgingly agrees to let him come with them.

As they rest from their travels, Safyra warns Leila that the spirits will not enter the Elven Forest. Jakob explains about the three worlds – spirit, elven, and faerie, and that none of the three cooperates with the other two. At the edge of the Elven Forest, they are attacked by a group of Huryl scouts. Leila is saved by Fynn while her companions fight to save themselves, and Jakob does his best to ignore the Woodwalker. When Fynn shows no signs of leaving, Jakob tries to persuade him to leave by telling him he is no longer wanted. Fynn, however, speaks of his duty and although he cannot be trusted, he will not leave. As they are about to enter the Elven Forest, they are attacked again. Fynn tells Jakob and Leila to go without him, as it is forbidden for him to enter the forest. Will decides to stay with Fynn, and the two of them hold back the Huryl attack while Jakob and Leila follow Safyra to the Elven Queen.

They make their way to the Elven city, and Safyra brings Jakob and Leila to a great tree which stands in the centre of the city. Safyra leaves, saying only that she hopes they meet again. An elderly elf named Xair meets them, and brings them deep inside the tree. Inside, they find the Elven Queen unconscious. Xair explains that she has been that way since the war began, and that none of the elves know of her condition. Jakob tells Leila that it was Will who stole the silver acorn from the elves, and was cursed by the Queen for doing so. Xair asks that Leila return the acorn to the elves, and the trio return to the surface where a messenger from Oponoe is waiting for them. An elven archer supporting a wounded Dyrel soldier wait for them, and Leila recognizes the soldier as Cyrus. The archer reports the destruction of Oponoe at the hands of the Huryl, and the deaths of the citizens. Cyrus confirms that the Huryl attacked the evacuated women and children who were hiding in the caves and slaughtered them all.

Meanwhile, Will is captured by the Huryl and finds himself in a dungeon, chained by his wrists. Ellena is waiting for him, and temporarily removes the curse of insanity that the Elven Queen had placed on him. Ellena asks that Will bring Leila to the Huryl city and she will permanently remove the curse on him.

Outside the Elven Forest, Leila, Jakob, and Cyrus are looking for Will and Fynn. As they search, Jakob says that he thinks he saw a faerie in the trees. After what Safyra had told her about the protected elven border, Leila is surprised by Jakob’s report. Suddenly, they are attacked by a flight of arrows from the trees. Fynn appears and says that the faeries are after him. The group begins to move, staying ahead of the faeries as much as possible, and Fynn tells them why he is being hunted. He says that he was summoned by the Faerie Queen soon after they left to enter the Forest, but he could not abandon Will. He broke free of the Queen’s spell to return to this world, which displeased the Queen. She sent hunters after him to bring him back, but he is avoiding them and the Queen is growing more angry.

Leila stumbles, and when she raises her head, she is alone in the forest. An image of Clothis appears before her, accusing her of following her murderer and betraying her memory. Leila draws Clothis’ sword and it began to glow bright white. The sword chases away the faerie spell and Leila is once again surrounded by her friends. They keep moving until they find Will. Leila asks him about the silver acorn, and he admits that he stole it and knows where it is. Cyrus is upset to learn this, and instantly mistrusts Will. Still, Leila decides that they should follow Will, who will lead them to the acorn.

As they walk, Will asks Leila to put on the necklace he stole from the Faerie Queen, but to keep it hidden. Leila does so, curious about Will’s intentions. When they pause for the night, Jakob tells Leila privately that they are heading for the Huryl capital. The next morning, they are attacked by the Faerie Queen, who tries one last time to have Fynn return to her. Fynn refuses to rejoin her service, and the Queen exiles him from her service, knowing that he cannot survive in the human world without her power. Fynn begins to grow weaker, and Leila feels the necklace burn around her neck as strange visions appear before her eyes. Slowly, Fynn gains strength and Leila sends a few wind spirits to protect Fynn from the Queen’s fury. Finally, the Queen gives up and releases Fynn before disappearing. Astonished at the turn of events, Fynn can hardly believe that he is free.

They continue to follow Will into the mountain pass that will lead them to the Huryl capital. When they pause for the night, Leila confides her worries about Will to Fynn, telling him that Jakob no longer trusts him even though Leila continues to. As Leila returns to the campfire, Will takes her aside and asks Leila to trust him, promising that he will bring her to the acorn. Leila tells him she does trust him. The next morning, they sneak into the Huryl capital in a covered wagon, lead by Jakob and Will. They make their way into the city itself when they are discovered at the citadel wall and captured by Roric, Ellena, and dozens of armed Huryl soldiers. Ellena reveals to the others that it was Will who brought them here and turned them over to the Huryl king.

Leila surrenders, and Ellena warns her that if she sees a single spirit, Leila’s friends will die. They are all escorted to Cedrik, the Huryl king. Cedrik orders them all, except Leila, to be imprisoned, and Will points out that he was promised forgiveness. Cedrik laughs and has Ellena remove the elven curse from him but she also takes away his ability to speak. Will shows Leila where the silver acorn is by gesturing at a pedestal near the throne with his eyes. Mattis appears, dressed like a Huryl prince, and says that Cedrik has given him the Dyrel kingdom for his own. As Jakob, Will, and Cyrus are dragged off to the dungeon, Cedrik gives Fynn to Mattis and Ellena, leaving Leila alone with the king. He demands the powers of the three worlds from her, and Leila refuses. Cedrik uses magic to throw Leila around the room to convince her that he is worthy of the power. Certain that Cedrik must keep her alive to get the power he wants, Leila toys with him until he is exhausted from using his magic and locks her in a cage until the next morning.

Still armed with Clothis’ sword, which the Huryl overlooked when they imprisoned her, Leila is brought before the Huryl king again the next morning. Leila flat out refuses to grant him the power he wants, and Cedrik goes into a rage. Leila is tossed about like a rag doll, but still does not summon the spirits to help her in case her friends would be in danger. Beaten and bruised, Leila staggers to her feet and draws Clothis’ sword. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees her friends enter the throne room, having escaped their captors. Strengthened by them, Leila summons an unfamiliar spirit that she felt within her and the ghost of Clothis materializes to battle Cedrik. Taking the sword from Leila, Clothis kills Cedrik and vanishes. Her friends rush towards her, and Leila sees a new person with them. It is Damaeon, taken as a prisoner from Oponoe and left for dead in the Huryl dungeon. Leila uses the spirits to heal the prince and passes out.

She wakes up to find herself being carried on Fynn’s back through the corridors of the Huryl citadel. Jakob is in the lead, with Cyrus helping Damaeon, and Will trailing along behind them. Jakob has the silver acorn, taken from the Huryl king’s throne room before they left. Fynn explains to Leila about the three worlds, and how the mortal world is the bridge that joins them together. Leila asks about Cedrik, and Fynn says he was probably a fae, a disgraced faerie stripped of his wings and powers and exiled to the mortal world. They come to a fork in the corridor, and Leila decides that they should head left, towards the sound of clattering swords. The group finds themselves in a training area full of Huryl soldiers. They sneak half way around the arena towards the large gates on the other side when they’re spotted. Mattis appears and Fynn accuses him of holding onto something he no longer deserves, a locket containing faerie’s wings. The wings belong to Ellena, who gave them to Mattis out of love when Mattis desires only power. Fynn and Mattis duel, and Fynn knocks Mattis down and takes the locket from around his neck, tossing it to Ellena. Then Fynn reaches into Mattis’ chest and draws out his soul, offering it to the Faerie Queen to become the new Woodwalker. A faerie appears to accept the soul, and takes Mattis away.

Ellena opens her locket and her wings are returned to her. She thanks Fynn and returns to Faerie. With nothing left to stand in their way, the group begins to walk towards the gates, hoping to escape the Huryl city. A blood curdling scream gives them pause and Leila wonders whether they should escape while they can, or return into the citadel to try and save the person who screamed.

And this concludes the first year of Spirit Saga.