The stray spirit - r. k. ashwick

A bard and a forest spirit uncover a deadly magical threat.

and the key to survival lies within their own forgotten songs.

Struggling bard Emry Karic has only one path home: impress the Auric Guild, join its ranks of elite musicians, and return to his family with his honor in hand.

Difficult to do on a good day.

Impossible to do with a possessed lute.

Hours before Emrys big break, an unnatural earthquake strikes, forcing a forest spirit named Aspen to take refuge in his lute.

Aspen is loud, talkative.

and not leaving anytime soon.

Panicked, Emry swears the spirit to silence on stage, in exchange for a favor: he will help investigate the mysterious quake that nearly killed them.

But Emry is a bard, not a scholar, and his research leads straight to the person who resents him the most: Cal Breslin, his studious ex-girlfriend.

Despite their history, Cal cant pass up the opportunity to study a mythical being.

Yet as the trio delves into the forgotten folklore of spirits and gods, they uncover a magical threat-and lingering feelings-looming beneath the surface.