“Books are a uniquely portable magic.” Stephen King
Sefia has grown up learning ways to stay alive, pick locks and survive through guidance from Nin. She knows that they are always on the run, but not from what. One day after processing some pelts she talks Nin into letting her go to the market by herself to make the trades. With some hesitation and strict instructions, Nin agrees. On Sefia’s return she is overcome by the smell of iron and hears a commotion so she hides in the bushes. She sees Nin attacked by a hooded warrior and abducted. Alone, Sefia sets out to find Nin and discover why they were being hunted. Her only clue is a strange rectangular object at the bottom of her pack that she comes to know is a book.
The outside of this book has a strange symbol that Sefia is constantly on the look out for. One day while hiding in the treetops she encounters some impressors transporting a crate with air holes. Impressors are men who capture boys and force them to fight each other, turning them into killers, in the name of Serakeen. Letting her curiosity get the best of her, Sefia sneaks into their camp and opens the crate where she finds a battered-looking boy laced with fresh wounds on his legs, arms and across his back. She helps him escape and together they form a team dependent on each other in Sefia’s pursuit to find her aunt Nin.
Like most fantasy books, this story has many plot lines and characters that can be confusing to readers, but the adventures on pirate ships, being hunted by impressors and the dynamic between Sefia and the boy who becomes known as Archer, are enough to push readers through to the end where Chee cohesively ties the plot lines together.