As a princess in the Patriarchal Realm of en’Edlia, Jewl has grown upclose to her twin sister, Phyre. Born to a royal mother from nonmagicalEarth and a high patriarch father now ruling on magical Irth,Jewl has inherited a birth-gift of magical power. Even though her twin has nomagic, Jewl feels her birth-gift is worthless.Desperately wanting to have friends with birth-gifts, Jewl ventures into theShards-a dark, foreboding part of the city-and, with her new friends, begins ajourney she is soon desperate to abandon. Jewl is caught in a snare of dark magicand tangled in a plot to kill someone in the ruling family-her family! Feelingthreatened and afraid, Jewl must find a way to stop a deadly jinx before someonedies. Can she find anyone she can trust to help her before her involvement isdiscovered? 3