Nori Savens has dreamt of meeting her familiar since she was a child. But when the veil between worlds thins and she summons him from the Wishing Well, he's not the sweet, affectionate companion she imagined. Instead, he's Sebastian—a cantankerous shadow cat with lopsided whiskers who instantly dislikes her.

When unusual tremors rattle the island, Nori fears she summoned the wrong familiar… and worse, her mistake has thrown the island’s aether out of balance. Determined to fix what she broke, Nori concocts a spell that will return her familiar back through the Wishing Well.

But after Sebastian reveals an unbonded familiar attempted to sneak through, they discover the imbalance is the result of a decision made centuries ago. Now Nori and Sebastian—along with the rest of the island—must work together to close the Wishing Well, or a horde of unbonded familiars will break through and destroy their quiet seaside town.

As one of the Touched, Amara Cho must hide her magic in a kingdom that forbids it. To protect her identity, she works as an herbalist’s apprentice with dreams of making potions without her secret power. But when she collides with a mortally injured boy, Amara’s magic calls to her and she must save him even if it means exposing herself.

When Amara is summoned before the High Council, she doesn’t expect the offer they make: to join the Royal Physicians and help secure peace talks with the kingdom’s enemy. But as she navigates the perils of her new position, Amara uncovers dark truths about the Touched—secrets connecting her people to a rare plant and a conspiracy far deadlier than she imagined. Now, Amara must choose: preserve a fragile peace built on blood and lies, or unleash the truth that will tear it apart.