On the cusp of adulthood, it is time to put away childish things. But for Ashden and Elanora, one childish thing will change them forever. Drawn into the Timefold by the pulse of an ancient bloodline, they face a formidable enemy created in the depths of the human heart. Separated by an impossible expanse of time, they must find each other, however changed, and unite to save lives even more vulnerable than their own.
Ashden Jaybanks,15, is relieved as he hammers the tack into his final rescue notice. It will no doubt lead to ridicule and bruises from Oscar, but what's new? And if it saves a soul or two, he can quit in good conscience. Yes, it's time to give up and concentrate on his mother whose mind has all but gone and whose terrors rule her. It's also time to grow up...in this world.
His plans are thwarted when a strangely forgettable red head witnesses his movement through the gateway under the fig. No-one has ever been able to see his comings and goings to the Timefold before. Could she be the same as him? But why can't he recall ever seeing her before?
Alone in her hideout, Elanora, 13, has been watching Ashden; curious as to how the most bullied kid in school can stand so confidently amongst the roots of the spectral fig when everyone else is scared to death of it. Especially her. When he finally reveals that he can see souls in animal replicas and that she has an unsurpassed ability to create such souls, Elanora refuses to let him keep her from her destiny. She must be taken to see the rescued ones and will join his mission to save them. And that may happen...if Ashden can remember her in the morning.
