Art is power, Music is magic, And no one is what they seem. When powerful and charismatic painter Lord Malrec brings newly-unemployed music teacher Alannys Gale to Ravanmark, it seems to be the answer to her prayers. She's had all she can stand of the power plays and politics at the middle school where she used to work. But Lord Malrec has plans for her...plans that may not be as noble as they appear. The more she sees of Ravanmark, the more it looks like she may have jumped from the frying pan into the proverbial fire--power plays and politics surround her from the first breath she draws there. And it looks like the biggest player of all...may be her. Music is magic in Ravanmark, and Alannys is a professional musician. A plot unfolds in darkness against the controlling and secretive royal family, and her newfound power may be the key to its success. From the moment she arrives, Alannys knows the nasty feeling of being a pawn in someone else's game of chess. She must begin the tricky business of choosing her side in the coming war. But how can she make a choice, when there is so much she doesn't know? And can she survive the consequences, if her choice is wrong? In a world with magic whose true power is shrouded in the mists of time, and whose people are not always what they seem, Alannys must use all of her strength and courage to harness her power and shape her own destiny as the Music Mage.