The Wayfinder — Darcy Pattison

Winhal Eldras is a Wayfinder, able to Find anything lost: a lost ring, the way home, a blue dress in the marketplace, a lost child. But what happens to a Wayfinder who has lost his own way? Sometimes the only way to get through something is to charge straight ahead. After a tragic accident, Winchal Eldras must forget his personal problems in order to save his country which is suddenly threatened by a deadly plague. Win is given a Finding by the Prince of the Heartland to seek healing from the plague. But the Finding leads straight down into the Rift, a dangerous canyon from which no one has ever returned. His only companion is Lady Kala, a telepathic Tazi hound, who is demanding and stubborn. How will they ever Find their way through the Rift to the other side? Win faces the problems squarely and begins his descent into an emotionally tangled world full of unknown dangers. (Also available as eBook, Kindle, Nook, etc.)