title: The King Commands: Tales of the Borderlands Book Two
author:  Meg Burden 
description: This second episode in the Tales of the Borderlands series sturdily follows the first (Northlander, 2007) with a nearly seamless weave of action and romance amid ethnic strife. Sixteen-year-old would-be Healer Ellin is abruptly banished by the new Northlands king she adoresonly to find her Southern homeland being torn apart by ruthless Guardians bent on extirpating any signs of psychic powers among the general population. Hearing that the Guardians are also building up an ominously large private army, Ellin returns to the five royal Northland brothers who have adopted her, and who make up the rest of the closely knit central cast, to deliver an urgent warning. Ellin and the princes go a long way toward growing up here, as their skein of attachments develops further complexity and her relationship with deaf, scholarly, gentle Prince Flinn deepens. Burden ends the story with the Northlands poised to square off against the faceless Southling villains in the next volume. She also builds in plenty of reasons for readers to care about what happens next. Grades 6-9. --John Peters
zlib_text: **Table of Contents**
  
  > [ **Title Page**](part0001.xhtml)
  
  >  **Copyright**
  
  >  **Dedication**
  
  >  **Prologue**
  
  >  **Chapter 1**
  
  >  **Chapter 2**
  
  >  **Chapter 3**
  
  >  **Chapter 4**
  
  >  **Chapter 5**
  
  >  **Chapter 6**
  
  >  **Chapter 7**
  
  >  **Chapter 8**
  
  >  **Chapter 9**
  
  >  **Chapter 10**
  
  >  **Chapter 11**
  
  >  **Chapter 12**
  
  >  **Chapter 13**
  
  >  **Chapter 14**
  
  >  **Chapter 15**
  
  >  **Chapter 16**
  
  >  **Chapter 17**
  
  >  **Chapter 18**
  
  >  **Chapter 19**
  
  >  **Chapter 20**
  
  >  **Epilogue**
  
  >  **Acknowledgements**
  
   **High Stakes - The Kingdom 2**
  
  By Nikki Groom
  
  Copyright@2014 Nikki Groom
  
  Cover design by Hang Le / byhangle.com
  
  Editing by Mandy Smith / rawbooksonline.com Proof reading by Claire Haiek /
  Freelance
  
  Formatting by Kassi Bland Cooper / Kassi’s Kandids Formatting All rights
  reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or
  by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or
  by any information storage and retriev