A witch. Small Folk. The casteless.

Too many of Nantai's children, Mairynne had never met. Decreeing that her aunt should ascend, she flees from Arashi and the Serpentine Throne. For the first time, she faces the hardship of those without the comforts of the elite caste. Gensui Thalaj Northerngale, her only companion and protector, travels at her side.

Through the Yubar Forest, across the Central Grasslands, into trading towns, and beyond, the journey winds through Mairynne's country. The stones she wears draw her onward. The people she meets guide her forward. Prophesies are told, and she makes unlikely friends.

But someone or something follows.

Her search leads her to the City by the Sea, demands she leave Nantai's shores and sail into the true unknown across Syrensea. Another step and another still . . . Mairynne seeks something far more important than duty. Family.