Sheldrake is a mage. Maud is a shapeshifter. When their son is born, he is completely pale with nearly white eyes: the legacy of a fearsome great-grandmother. Jayhan grows into a cheery, accident-prone eight-year-old, unhappily aware of his heritage. Soon, a dark-eyed orphan enters his life; rescued from a brutal master to become their stableboy, Sasha's past and present are shrouded in secrets. The only legacy Sasha has of the past is an obsidian...