Nobody knows how to stop it, and all the facts are telling me that unless I can cure him, my brother is very likely going to try and kill me soon. And that's just how this whole mess starts. From there I run face first into a whole stack of problems, including a crazy werewolf girl, a large pack of flesh-eating ghouls, and a trip to the greatest repository of magical knowledge in the world, where someone like me is definitely not welcome. There, I discover dark secrets from before the birth of modern civilization, and make an enemy of the toughest woman I've ever met, one whose motto may as well have been "when in doubt, stab it a lot!" If that wasn't enough, Windward Academy has a new magic teacher, who also doesn't like me very much (who does these days?). She's not only far more powerful than I am, she's also hiding secrets of her own, any one of which could vastly complicate an already touchy situation. But I can't let any of that stop me. I've got to find a way to help Des, but the only paths open to me are costly and horrifically dangerous. No matter what I do, I'm bound to lose something precious. I still have to try.