Morwen Aleacim, an elfin teen in the village of Aren, has always heard rumors of evil lurking in the great forests of the kingdom, where children vanish. Her own father disappeared into those forests, and Morwen is determined to find him. So she is secretly training to be a warrior - against the strict rules of decorum for girls - with the help of Armando, an aging human swordsman.

When Brynn, Morwen's own baby sister, vanishes, Morwen tracks her to the horrifying lair of Tobias, an inhuman Dark Wizard. There she strikes a deal with him - her service in return for Brynn's freedom.

He accepts. She'll go free along with Brynn for now, but is bound to him as his apprentice. To her horror, Tobias brands her - not with a fiery mark, but with a spell that will slowly transform her human body into a grotesque creature and her spirit into an obedient slave. When the transformation is complete she'll have no choice but to return to him forever.

Aided by Alan, a handsome elfin boy, who will soon have a dark challenge of his own, Morwen sets out to find a wizard who can lift the spell. It's a race against time as she struggles to free her mind, body, spirit and heart from a horrible fate.

Micaela Wendell, now sixteen years old, has been writing since her early childhood. She began work on The Branding in seventh grade. Micaela lives in South Carolina, where she is an honors student involved in many activities. She's already working on a sequel to The Branding. She invites readers to email her at thebranding@hotmail.com.