{"product_id":"2940015128253","title":"The Reluctant Guardian (\"Homeward\" Collection)","description":"After Bieja flees her home in the village of Chemestúk, burned to the ground in a civil war, she soon realizes she  has only one place left to go.  Her niece, Magiere, owns a little tavern in the port town of Miiska--which is unfortunately a long journey away on the west coast. Bieja has never traveled more than a few leagues from her hut in all of her life.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUndaunted all the same, she sets off through her war-torn homeland with what she could scavenge from the blackened remains of her village.  All too soon, she finds herself on unfamiliar paths and facing the risk of both deserters and conscripted soldiers who are as desperate as she is.  She has always been independent, but she might not survive this journey alone... until happenstance trips her up with a most unusual guardian.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe problem is, this guardian might be as dangerous as anything else Bieja will have to face.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAbout \"Tales from the world of the Noble Dead Saga\"...\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTales are organized into \"collections\" where all stories therein share a theme and\/or premise. Most tales are not sequential and can be read in any order. When one or more link together, subsequent stories will mention \"sequel to...\" on their covers to guide you.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo knowledge of our novels is necessary to read and enjoy these short works. Any \"tale\" can be your first venture into this world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e--Barb \u0026amp; J.C. Hendee","brand":"Barb and J.C. Hendee \/ NobleDead.org","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47121206608112,"sku":"2940015128253","price":2.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940015128253_p0.jpg?v=1763619272","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940015128253","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}