Tulûk, Guardian of Harand, is a man others look to for protection.  He tends his Magus gift as he does his blade honing each with diligent care and wielding them with power and skilled precision.  Unlike the king he has sworn to serve and defend, Tulûk has never had the luxury of trusting the keeping of his weapons or his survival to another.  He is man apart - until he meets Silphae.

 For Silphae, the young crown Princess of Galathil, the Magus brings both frustration and joy.  Destined to rule yet born with the Magus healing talent, she is torn between two lives - one answering the calling of her art, the other fulfilling her duty to her land.   Certainly, neither choice offers her the expectation of love and she disregards love's power to move her - until she meets Tulûk.