Deep in the mountains lies a valley with a secret to immortality—Clairvaux—where the Queen Mother reigns supreme. Hidden within the cliffs and rocky paths and shrouded by waterfalls, the Gallows Tree grows immortal fruit, but only the loyal angel sworn can partake and live forever, weaving magic with grafting wands and bonding to animals in order to borrow their powers while balancing the good in all living things.

But the idyllic hymns of angelic choirs shatter when death comes to Clairvaux. Bodies, strewn and ravaged by claws, whisper of a nameless evil threatening the angel sworn and all earthborn. Might Cimree, a young healer in training, hold the key to unraveling the mystery that menaces Clairvaux and the distant bastions it protects? And could a fallen angel held captive deep in the dungeons of Montheron have the answers Cimree seeks? Or will a new magic that transforms animals into monsters force an exodus to a safe haven before all is lost?