Newly released from a hellish prison, Bale sets out on a journey to find a place—any place-- where he can lead a “normal” life. The convict’s brand on his hand indicates otherwise. Indeed, there is no such luck. Despite his determination to remain as far from trouble as possible, he encounters humans and magical creatures, both good and evil, and some in-between, who test both his resolve and his strengths as his travels lead him to a future beyond his imaginings. Witches, ghosts, and griffins, royalty and peasants; all need something from Bale which only he can provide. At what cost? He is placed in circumstances requiring he move beyond his image of himself as nothing but an ex-con, and he is confronted with questions he never even dreamed were important to ask, and ultimately, answer. Scramblesuckers, mandragons, and glow adders want to kill him, and Bale realizes how much he wants to live. With his new found companion Foxy by his side, Bale discovers a gift for magic, and must face his own inner demons to be able to continue his education. He discovers the horrors he has unknowingly imprisoned in his brain are far more frightening to him than the dangers he has already faced. Owning and accepting his past is critical to his future, and Bale must confront the nightmarish past and acknowledge the horrors, whether forced upon him or of his own making. One of those dark memories returns in gratitude, however, to help Bale and his mentors save the community from a murderous band determined to lay waste to everything in their path. Bale becomes the bridge between the worlds of humans and magical creatures, bringing the two worlds together to defeat Crump, who cannot be killed by humans because of a dark deed in his past. Bale realizes that Crump is the one who had him falsely imprisoned, and must temper his rage and use both magic and his own wits to end Crump’s destructive reign. Verda, Queen of All Witches of the Middle Kingdom and Bale’s mentor, and Healer, her bonded companion, teach Bale to hear and feel the life forces around him, and to suspend his earlier perceptions of the world as he ventures a world both familiar and strange. Bale, Foxy, Verda and Healer are bound together as they join forces, each of them with a role to play in the battle against Crump. What, though, is the price of magic? The answer is both devastating and redemptive.