Ariel, the fifteen-year-old princess of a barbaric fairy tribe, has been sneaking over to the other side of the valley to learn the ways of the more gentler, educated elvin colony. But, her defiance of their leader, Keeper, has resulted in a two-week banishment from the elves. Not to idle during her confinement, Ariel puts her time to good use by teaching some of the other fairy teens the skills she's learned from the elves.
As her punishment ends, Ariel returns to her mentors and, to her dismay, finds she is expected to be under Keeper's guidance for a week. To make matters worse, a family crisis sends her closest friends Basil and Dill on a journey to Basil's far-off homeland with no clear indication of when or if they will be returning.
With her friends gone and the weight of new responsibilities pressing on her, Ariel faces an uncertain future.
The fourth book in the Year Of The Firefly series by GeAnn Powers, THE RETURN OF THE FIREFLY is riveting tale of courage and friendship.
Slave is a better description