Synopsis: Catalyst for chaos - In a kingdom of astonishing magicks, Chalaine is the supreme sorceress - though her spell-weaving has been known to have unintended, often disastrous side effects. Now a dark evil is ransacking souls within the walls of the royal castle. And loyal Chalaine must join forces with the king's son, the dashing swordmaster/sorcerer Prince Bariden, to root out and destroy the dread malignancy. But their determined quest thrusts them through a strange portal into a progression of hidden realms and terrifying challenges. For buried somewhere within the deepest fabric of enchantment are secrets to a conspiracy both terrible and unexpected - secrets that beckon Chalaine and Bariden down a perilous road toward their own destruction. (from the back cover of the AvoNova Books first edition)