From the author of SKY CARVER comes a riveting account of an unwilling heroine's quest. It's been four years since Raven fled Baron Cutter's estate--four years since her mother, Roxaine, failed to show at the rendezvous. They were bonded servants then. Now, Raven, at 15, is an outlaw and a powerful mage--she can change into a bird at will. But she is haunted by the past: Did her mother abandon her? Or did Raven desert Roxaine in her hour of need? Driven by a desire to know what happened that night, Raven returns to the Baron's estate. What she discovers is beyond her imagining, and she is left with a choice: escape a second time or help the mother whose will is as strong as her own.

Vivid details and amusing characters add depth to Raven's intricately created world, where a girl must look beyond magic--and herself--to save what is most important.