After the long-awaited yet disastrous return of the skyboulder, the Triads retreat to Cudth Deorth to recover-though Pax, Laetu, and Kari remain missing, and Tass lies insensible, her siblings desperate for her healing.

But peace is fleeting. The elders of Luca have placed Xylo at the top of their kill list, and unless the Triads act quickly, he faces capture-or the spark of a war that could consume both realms. Rumors swirl that the passageways between Luca and Garradh Gannoir will soon be sealed, shattering any hope of unity between the two civilizations.

And though the Triads manage to recover Mailu, it is only her coffin they bring back-her body lifeless inside, yet her swelling belly a haunting sign that not all life has been extinguished.

With catastrophe looming both within their families and across their world, the Triads must once again decide how far they are willing to go to keep hope alive.