Synopsis: From the back cover of the Ace first edition: Magic flowed through a heart of troubled waters... It's no wonder that Peri should possess some of the magical talent that her mother , the High Lady Kayli, is known for. However, the young and impetuous Peri is determined to prove that her swordsmanship, not her magic is her calling. But when she single-handedly rescues a prisoner from a Sarkond warriors' camp, she finds herself the liberator of a dreaded Sarkond heretic. Now they must depend on each other in order to survive. And face the prophecy they are destined to fulfill - together...