Every year, the magicians of Imardin gather together to purge the city streets of vagrants and miscreants. As masters of the disciplines of magic, they know that no ordinary lowlife can oppose them. But their protective shield is not as impenetrable as they think. Sonea, a young vagrant slum dweller, outraged by the arrogance and high-handedness of the magicians, throws a stone at their protective shield, putting all her rage behind it. She is stunned when her puny rock manages to break through the magic shield and knocks a magician unconscious. Running for her life, Sonea seeks refuge in the underground tunnels that course through the city, for the Guild s worst fear has been realized. An untrained magician is loose, and she must be found before her nascent, uncontrolled powers destroys herself and the city of Imardin.