For a normal girl from Armorica, studying at the prestigious Academy of Magical Arts in Ys is a big deal. But Madeleine discovers that she isn''''t as ordinary as she thought. And when a mysterious stranger offers to keep her secrets in exchange for loyalty, she accepts. Now it''''s up to her and her new friends -- noble and conceited Gaius and smart and down-to-earth Cleopatra --to figure out what to do when the fate of Ys and maybe the whole world hangs in the balance.