Torn between two words, Tory trains with the Musimagium and with Diego, a "Mad Bard". Diego is pushing her to learn how to create magic without her clarinet, almost as if he knows something is going to happen. And maybe he does. Alamar is acting strange, regressing into an almost child-like state. And none of her Musimagium mentors will allow her to do anything about the prison complex where she'd found Alamar. Any action is all tied up in red tape.

With the help of Pito, her magical bearded dragon, Tory works to get to the bottom of it. But when Alamar disappears and Tory has had enough of being told no, she decides to take matters into her own hands. Will her rash actions cost her everything, including her life?