"Flesh to stone and ash to fire As night must precede morn; Whatever's gained, whatever's lost Become more than you were born . . ." Can two outcasts save the Realm? Banished in disgrace after losing a priceless heirloom days before her coming-of-age ceremony, Amber's search takes her far beyond the borders of Fairymead and sends her stumbling into a Goblin plot of sorcery and savagery. Giving up her ability to fly in order to rescue Racxen, a swamp-dwelling, claw-handed young Arraheng man who is battling demons of his own, Amber joins forces with him to both thwart a monster long consigned to legend and carve her identity anew.