All he wanted was to prove himself a man. But the cost was more than he could imagine! When 18-year-old Paskal set out for a week in the wilderness, he was confident his father would accept him as a man when he returned. But three days into his outing, he encounters a slaver mage. Trussed up and tossed in the back of a wagon, Paskal joins nineteen other hapless souls. Sold at the first village along the Inferno Trail, Paskal seeks a way to freedom, but after a week, he's as useless as his masters say. With all hope lost, Paskal begrudgingly accepts the title of slave, but even a slave can protect a friend and stand for what's right. The question is: who will pay the ultimate cost for his freedom? Paskal's Hope is book 2 of the coming-of-age fantasy duology Journeys that follows two different young men, and the women who love them, trying to find their place in the world and discover where their worth lies.