The night the tree fell, the sky looked wrong. Mira knew then that her son's secret could no longer be hidden. Anton does not just cast spells: he feels the air turn to solid stone. His magic is a physical thing, a heavy pressure that ripples the world around him. To the villagers, he is a threat to be rooted out. To Mira, he is a son who needs protection at any cost.
Before the sun can rise on a lynch mob, they must flee into the river kingdoms, navigating a landscape of ancient bargains and rising floods. In a world that wants to break him, Anton must learn if his shield is strong enough to protect the only person who still sees him as a boy instead of a monster.
