"...But into such black times, when hearts are at their most despairing, a Child of Light shall come, a power so great that it shall banish the Darkness forever..." Sapphire Delfin's world is thrown into chaos when her village is massacred and all she has ever known and loved is taken from her. Together with two survivors, she must search for answers and find a new destiny in a world of cruelty and uncertainty. But what are these strange powers her companions have noticed in her, and why hasn't anyone seen them before? Meanwhile, far to the north in the near-deserted magical citadel, four lonely sorcerers must face the demons of the past before they can hope to face their perilous future. But have they been hiding for too long, keeping themselves from all other human contact in the hope of avoiding further tragedy? And in the deep south, what is it that Coppelia, the dangerous High Sorceress, thinks is so special about the son of the Lord Chancellor, whose flamboyant and erratic behavior could mean something more sinister than anyone could ever have imagined?