Internationally bestselling author John Flanagan returns to world of Ranger's Apprentice in the sixth installment of the Royal Ranger series. When Maddie and Will get a message that dire wolves—huge misshapen changelings, much larger than regular wolves—have been marauding and attacking through the hills and valleys of Celtica, the Rangers are sent on a mission to unravel just who or what is behind these dangerous creatures. Will isn’t anxious to return to Celtica, especially approaching the Rift. And as they travel, Maddie must grapple with their growing dealings with the spiritual and supernatural. But they are Rangers—and they will do whatever it takes to accomplish their mission. After they receive some offers of help from locals, Will and Maddie learn the name of the sorceress behind these strange and dangerous attacks, Arazan, along with the location of her hideout. On the way to take her down once and for all, the Rangers must face dire wolves, wargals, dark magic, and more. And as Arazan’s desires lead her to the most evil of powers, Will and Maddie must form a plan of action that can outwit not just the sorceress but the darkest forces from the beyond. JOHN FLANAGAN grew up in Sydney, Australia, hoping to be an author, and after a successful career in advertising and television, he began writing a series of short stories for his son, Michael, in order to encourage him to read. Those stories would eventually become The Ruins of Gorlan , Book 1 of the Ranger's Apprentice epic. Now with his companion series, Brotherband, the novels of John Flanagan have sold millions of copies and made readers out of kids the world over. Mr. Flanagan lives in the suburb of Mosman, Australia, with his wife. In addition to their son, they have two grown daughters and four grandsons. You can visit John Flanagan at www.WorldofJohnFlanagan.com 1 The three brothers had been hard at work since the sun had shown the first traces of pink over the hills to the east. Now it was slowly sinking to the rim of the western cliffs, and Owen ap‑­Jones, the eldest of the three, straightened his back painfully and leaned on the handle of his hoe. “That’s enough for today,” he said. Wearily, he surveyed the field he and his brothers had been working on all day. It was poor ground, hard and filled with rocks, and difficult to till. The task wasn’t made any easier by the quality of the tools they had to use. The metal was soft and easily deformed. Owen glanced down at the blade of his hoe and frowned as he noticed three new notches in the edge and one section where the blade had curled back on itself. He’d have to hammer that out overnight and file out the notches before the tool would be serviceable again. Even though the field wasn’t a big one, he estimated that it would take them another two days’ hard labor hacking rows, removing rocks and turning the thin topsoil before they could begin to plant their crop of beans. He shrugged. Life as a farmer in Celtica was hard. The land was better suited to mining. But there were no deposits of ironor silver on their land, and their only choice was to farm or starve. Gryff and Dai, Owen’s younger brothers, both stopped working as he spoke. “Curse this ground,” Gryff said bitterly. He kicked at a rock close by his foot, sending it skittering. “We’ll spend hours, days, hacking away at it, and for what?” Neither of the others answered, so he continued. “For beans. Beans! Who can live on beans?” Dai shrugged. “Well, we do,” he replied. Gryff was the youngest brother and was inclined to be the moodiest of the three. Owen and Dai had learned to accept life as it came. Complaining about their lot, they knew, was a wasteof time and energy. Life was what it was, and no amount ofwhining or ranting would change that. Their father had died at a relatively young age, worn out from the effort of tending their field and providing for his family. At least, Owen thought, the three brothers could share the work. “Let’s go,” he said now, putting an arm around his young brother’s shoulders. “Mam will have supper ready for us.” “Bean soup,” Gryff muttered angrily. Although, at the thoughtof food, his stomach rumbled. They had eaten at midday, stopping for half an hour for a meal of bread and cheese washed down with watered ale. There had been no breakfast. The farm could only provide two meals a day, both of them simple and without any appetite appeal. “Bean soup, bread and cheese,” he continued, listing the unvarying contents of their daily menu. “Who can live on that? The miners eat meat twice a week, and they have porridge on the other days.” “So they say,” Owen replied. He wasn’t sure that the miners in their village of Poddranyth were completely trustworthy about the quality of the meals they enjoyed. Miners were notoriously mendacious. Still, he thought, they probably lived better than he and his brothers did. “We should be ready to plant in another two days,” he said, hoping to change the subject. “Two da