The apprenticeship is over – now the real test has begun Yelena faces mistrust and fear when word that she is a Soulfinder – a magician able to capture and release souls – spreads like wildfire in Sitia. Adding to her troubles, she keeps discovering new and peculiar aspects of her abilities. As the Council debates Yelena's fate, she receives a disturbing message: a plot is rising against her homeland, led by a murderous sorcerer she has defeated before... To deal with this new threat, Yelena sets on a dangerous path to Ixia that will test the limits of her skills. However the terrible consequences if she fails spurs her onward. Along the way, she'll encounter allies, enemies, lovers, and would-be assassins, each of questionable loyalty. And she'll be forced to confront an impossible choice as whispers of war emerge. To survive, Yelena must learn that in the war between good and evil – there can only ever be one victor.