Splintered (Avant-Garde, #1)

Behind every war is a family.Behind every man, a great woman.Behind every myth is a Legend.Behind every tree, a spirit.On the Third day of creation the Shajara Alma were born, and Ja'el, Lord of Oak, has led them ever since. From under the boughs of trees, he watched as man was created. He's seen empire's rise and civilization's fall. He has loved and lost, and seen countless generations grow old.Four hundred years ago, he watched as the Woodsmen burned in their capital, set aflame by a Hasilian Battalion bent on revenge, and taking the lives of many Shajara with them. Now the servants of a once great Empire of Wood have been forced into hiding, turning the forests that had been home into a prison.Until Ja'el hears the sound of war on the wind, and Eden, a race thought to be dead, threatens to burn the dwindling remnants of his people. In desperation he turns to the only ally of the Shajara Alma, Petra, the Blood Empress of Veveer. But Petra desires more than to help her friend. Eden threatens her power, and a threat to her is a threat to all.