Skye, born of two conflicting natures, feels that any magic he may have inherited from his mother is cancelled by the dullness inherited from his father. So he steals a magical pearl from his only friend, a forest sprite. Above all else, Skye wants to return it, but it's the only thing that protects him from the soul-sipping king he is cursed to entertain. And the king is getting bored.
Elsewhere in the kingdom, Peregrine, face reader of a race driven toward extinction, searches for the last remnant of her kind, which Skye represents. Her companion is a goddess-touched parrot with his own agenda.
