Wild Magic

Summary

When Onua Chamtong, the K'mir horse mistress of the Tortallian Queen's Riders, meets up with the mysterious 13 year old Veralidaine Sarrasri, she knows that there is something different with the girl, but she cannot tell what or how it will develop. Daine turns out to be an irreplaceable support for the K'mir because of her skills with bow and arrow and her astonishing ability to work and communicate with animals. On their journey to Corus, the capital of Tortall, she gives evidence of her talents in fights with hostile immortals and by finding the persecuted magician Numair Salmalín.

After their arrival at the royal palace Daine goes on working as an assistant horse mistress. There, Numair and King Jonathan of Conté discover that Daine's talent of being good with animals and feeling the presence of immortals is caused by a special kind of magic that is called "Wild Magic". Daine promises to help the kingdom with all her abilities and starts being educated in her magic by Numair Salmalín while they travel with the trainees to their summer training camp at Pirate's Swoop.

As she proceeds her fear of the insanity which overwhelmed her after her mother's and grandfather's death and nearly let her forget her human nature more and more breaks through. Finally it forces her to reveal her dark past to her friends Onua and Numair. Relieved and encouraged by their trust, her freshly acquired power of finding and healing animals and controlling their minds pays when pirates besiege Pirate's Swoop with the help of stormwings and demand the surrender of queen Thayet and her children. After she finally gives up holding back her animal friends from fighting Daine also engages an ancient immortal kraken in the struggle and with his help and the help of a female dragon, whose baby the wild mage resuscitated, the defenders of the castle are able to defeat their enemies.

Having been instructed by the dying dragon mother, Daine finds her offspring and adopts it. In the end, she has to realize that some people fear her because of her magic, but that as well she is lucky to have found a new home among her friends.