Some promises are deadly to keep. Will the promise of magic be one of them? Book 3 of the Xannon Series returns to Tarian and the changes being wrought in her life by the events in Stronger Than Magic. It's highly recommended to read this series in order, as each new story picks up where the previous ends. It's been several months since an attack on Tarian Xannon started a chain of events that resulted in her mother's murder and her current pregnancy. Her body is an unwieldy mass gestating what feels like an alien. And the intense magical power already emanating from her unborn daughter makes Tarian more uneasy than she'd ever admit. When Tarian takes a night swim to soothe her taut nerves, the leader of the Water Ancients herself appears. The old dolphin reminds Tarian of her promise to free the Caraigg, Earth Ancients imprisoned in a deep cave for thousands of years. To assist the task, the Water Ancient floods Tarian with power, but the exchange leaves Tarian overloaded. If she doesn't release energy, and fast, both she and the baby could die. Driven by the need to protect her child and the desire to help her friends, Tarian sets out on a mission to keep her promise of magic. To succeed, she must break one of the four pillars of elemental power that keep the plane of existence separated. But while breaking the Stulos will free the Ancients, it might also break the world."