Before Carillian was born, her mother dreamed that an enormous beast stole her away, so Carillian's father fashioned a charm to protect her from danger, and confined her to her baronial home. Now, desperate to escape from her father's control, Carillian is eager to marry the prince. Or is she? For that matter, does the prince want to marry her? And what stands in the way but the charm she wears, which protects her from harm, from her own betrothed, and even from herself. When her father breaks it, her whole world changes, but not her choices. Still trapped, she turns to the enigmatic Galen, an intriguing merchant who spins tales of wonder and magic in distant lands and sparks a hope of escape in her heart. But when terrible spells are cast on them both, Carillian is exiled from her home and Galen is sentenced to death. Now it is she who must make a journey of self-discovery, far beyond her home and homeland, to find her own magical powers in order to liberate both Galen and herself.