Judah the Foundling chose freedom over betrayal when she leaped from the top of the castle tower. Now she finds herself wandering an unknown forest, far from everything and everyone she loves. For the first time in her life, she’s beyond the great Wall that surrounds Highfall castle. For the first time, she’s alone. But Judah isn’t free. Fiercely sought by those who believe she holds the key to unlocking the power trapped in the world, she must learn to navigate the dangers of an unfamiliar place. She knows that somewhere, her foster brother Gavin is in peril. To save him, not only must she learn to use the new power she discovers inside herself, she must survive.

Judah is an orphaned girl with a secret gift, born at the gates of Highfall castle. Raised alongside Gavin, heir to Lord Elban's empire, the two share an extrasensory bond --- one that is key to Judah's survival and her possible undoing. Elban --- as mighty as he is cruel --- plans to use Judah as a pawn to amass greater control. He will stop at nothing to get what he wants. But beyond the castle walls, a magus, a healer with his own powerful force, has arrived from the provinces. He, too, has designs on the realm, and at the heart of his plans lies Judah. The girl who started life with no name and no history will soon discover her own strength. Intriguingly, she does not have to be given power: she can just take it.

Patrick Cusimano’s life can’t get much worse. His brother’s girlfriend, Caro, has pushed their friendship to an uncomfortable new level, and he can’t shake the attentions of Layla Elshere, a goth teenager who befriends him for reasons he doesn’t understand. Meanwhile, Layla’s little sister, Verna, is suffering through her first year of high school. Unless Patrick, Layla, Caro and Verna can forge their own twisted paths to peace, they’re stuck on a dangerous collision course where the stakes couldn’t be higher.