The raiders who capture Tomasella Iccasian and her six-year-old cousin, Prince Rhian, are in for a surprise. Not only is Tomasella a firebrand, but she is also a fledgling mage of raw, untrained power.

Discovering previously unplumbed depths of ingenuity in herself, she escapes the raiders. Her next move is to recruit three mercenary soldiers as her private army. All of her talents are put to the test as she steps back into danger and, with her tiny force, rescues her cousin from the raiders. But to her sorrow, the reward on which she sets her heart seems bound to elude her.