Onyx & ivory

Kate Brighton carries a name she did not choose. Years ago her father tried to assassinate the high king, and the kingdom now calls her Traitor Kate. She lives as an outcast on the edges of society.

Her work is riding for the Relay, the imperial courier service. Only the best riders and bow hunters are taken on, and the job is dangerous in its own right. When darkness falls, nightdrakes hunt the roads. These are deadly dragons that cannot fly, and only the fastest couriers outrun them.

Kate has an advantage she cannot admit to. She is a wilder, born with magic that lets her influence the minds of animals. Being a wilder is forbidden, and the punishment is death or exile, so every use of her gift risks her life.

This is a fantasy with a young female protagonist, built around her double life: a disgraced courier in public and a hidden wilder in private. The setting is a kingdom of riders, roads and predators, and the danger is both physical and political. Kate has to keep herself alive on the road at night while keeping her magic from anyone who might report it.