The Seven Songs of Merlin

The Seven Songs of Merlin
by: T.A. Barron

This is the second book in a 5 part series and follows "The Lost Years of Merlin."
A plot summary courtesy of Wikipedia:

"The story starts off at the remains of the shrouded castle. Creatures of almost every race appear at the meeting. They decide to do with the Treasures of Fincayra. Since the Dark Hills are still in the Blight, they decide who should heal them using the Flowering Harp. After many try, Merlin tries. At first it appears as if nothing happened, but soon grass appears on his boots. After this, he is chosen to use the Flowering Harp on the Dark Hills, before the goblins and wraiths can come out.

The story continues with Merlin still in the Dark Hills. As soon as that happens, he tries to make a beech bend, so he can go to the top. Rhia though stops him. While they stop to eat, Merlin gets an idea. He goes to the west to see Garlatha and T´eilan in hopes of impressing them with the harp. Rhia starts to follow him, telling him that he still needs a guide. When he gets there he tries to show them the harp but they are more interested in Rhia than Merlin. Upset he storms off.

He sleeps by a river, upset about everything. When he falls asleep, he sees his mother, but then his teeth start growing and they stab his eyes. When he wakes up, he hears crying. He finds that the sobbing is coming from inside the river. He finds a flask. When he opens it, he feels a warm air. Then he hears a voice. The voice tells him her name is Aylah and that she is a wind sister. When he tries to play the harp, instead of everything growing, everything dies. After some probing from Aylah, Merlin realizes that he misses his mother. After he finds a way to bring her to Fincayra, she becomes terribly ill."