Expiring Covenant — R. Mac Wheeler

The Covenant ended generations of war between the races (little people, humans, giants, and the majical kind), separated the combatants to the points of the compass, and set the Range as a buffer between them for two hundred years. Now the rich highlands draw adventurous pioneers to stake claims, watch their neighbors with a wary eye, care for their flocks, and hope to store away enough reserves to survive the brutal winters. The majical waters of Black Lake evoke fear, but the gorges teem with game, which draws the dreaded orcs and goblins from the eastern desert.

EXPIRING COVENANT unfolds in slices of each explorer's life, chronicle the people setting down roots to become a community, mix tales of shenanigans, tragedy, duplicity, tolerance, friendship, love, and personal growth. The settlers learn their neighbors might not be the monsters legends are told 'round winter hearths.