In the eastern reaches of Kraterra, the humans have begun to chase the wild and magical things into the shadows of the forest, and while a new science, and the emergence of a new religion have left little room for wonder, there may yet be time for a little magic... When an alchemist with a silver tongue ventures into a kingdom with an empty treasury, a prince with a greedy heart, and an impossible request will turn Ranlion's life upside down. He's determined to fulfill the prince's request, but when time runs short and his life hangs in the balance, what will he trade for an impossible wish? Alletha is a child of the woods, an orphan with a hundred brothers and sisters. Happily ever afters don't exist in the greenwood. There is only survival. Stolen away by a fairy curse when she was only a baby, Alletha has grown up wild and strong alongside her foundling family. "I'm in the business of granting wishes... but all magic comes at a price." In Brightsoll Forest at the edge of Ely Citadel, the world of men creeps ever closer and as Alletha's twenty-first birthday approaches, she yearns to know more about these strange creatures who live without magic, and whom she is forbidden to speak to. Her interest in life at the citadel started as a game-but when an alchemist on the edge of desperation begs for her help, can Alletha take the risk that she might be discovered, or leave him to his fate?