THE SHADOWY FIGURE OF DEATH HAS STALKED EIRNA EKLUND SINCE SHE WAS NINE YEARS OLD. TWELVE YEARS LATER, IT HAUNTS HER STILL.
CONVINCED SHE IS CURSED BY THE GODS, EIRNA DENIES THE VERY IDEA OF MAGIC, NO MATTER HOW MANY FANTASTICAL TALES HER GRANDFATHER TELLS HER. IT IS THE SECRET SHE BEARS AS THE VILLAGE HEALER, USING HER INSCRUTABLE CONNECTION WITH DEATH TO CARE FOR HER PEOPLE WHILE REJECTING HER BLOODLINE THAT WILL ONE DAY PLACE HER ON THE THRONE AS THE FIRST WOMAN TO RULE ENDIRYA.
BUT WHEN DEATH COMES FOR HER BELOVED GRANDFATHER THROUGH AN UNIDENTIFIABLE ILLNESS, EIRNA IS LEFT WITH NOTHING BUT HER OWN GUILT AND THE PARTING GIFT HE GAVE HER WITH HIS DYING BREATH — A SMALL, UNMARKED STONE. REELING FROM HER LOSS, SHE IS DEFENSELESS AGAINST HER DOMINEERING FATHER, SIDGARD, WHO TAKES HER GRANDFATHER’S PLACE ON THE THRONE AS ENDIRYA’S NEXT KONUNGR. EIRNA IS SOON REMINDED THAT THERE IS NO BORDER NOR BOUNDARY THAT SIDGARD WON’T CROSS IN ORDER TO BREAK HER INTO THE FEARSOME LEADER HE DEMANDS HER TO BE — AND THAT HER ONE AND ONLY PROTECTOR, IS GONE.
WITH NO WAY OUT FROM UNDER HER FATHER'S CONTROL, EIRNA IS FORCED INTO AN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE JARL’S BRUTISH SON AND STRIPPED OF HER TITLE AS THE VILLAGE HEALER. BUT WHEN EIRNA DISCOVERS THAT THERE IS MORE TO HER GRANDFATHER’S CRYPTIC STONE THAN MEETS THE EYE, SHE CAN NO LONGER DENY THAT MAGIC MAY NOT ONLY EXIST IN THE REALM, BUT WITHIN HERSELF. THIS COULD BE THE KEY TO UNLOCK HER FREEDOM, BUT EIRNA LEARNS TOO LATE THAT HER ATTEMPTS TO CHANGE THE LINE OF SUCCESSION LEADS HER TO REALMS BEST LEFT FOR THE DEAD.
