Melinda Salisbury

Since there wasn't enough proof to convict Alva's father for the murder of her mother, she's been forced to live in his house in Ormscaula, Scotland, being raised by the man she holds responsible for her motherlessness. His family has been called guardians of the loch for generations, and now it falls to her to monitor the water levels, despite not knowing what she's watching for -- or what may be watching her back.

Using magic to control the golems he has raised, the legendary Sleeping Prince has woken, killed King Merek, and taken Lormere, and many of its people are refugees, including Errin and her sick mother--but there are those who oppose the Prince, and Errin, a skilled apothecary, may hold the key to ending his power.