Years after the collapse of the Darshan Empire, the free-flowing magical energy that exists in all things—wild magic—has spiraled out of control. Landscapes are radically altered, lives are upended, and cities are decimated by its chaotic influence. A refugee from a wild magic-ravaged city, Ailis Rhis only wants to find a safe town where she can set up shop and live quietly. But fate has other plans for her. Her traveling party is intercepted by a dangerous band of strangers who say they'll allow the travelers onward in exchange for one thing—Ailis. Resigned to her fate, Ailis accepts. But when she's taken to their village, nothing could prepare her for the reason she's really been taken—or for the magnetic, mysterious man who's at the heart of it all.