Something is not all right with This Side, the alternate world where the guardians find themselves. Magic - or at least the rumor of it - is creeping out of Faerie at the border town of Ehvenor. And even though Jason Cullinane, son of the legengdary Karl, has not yet settled into his new role as baron, he and his companions cannot ignore the pleas of those they were sworn to protect. So when great sea serpents rise from the ocean depths, when livestock is swallowed whole by an unseen menace, and when wolfpacks suddenly have more in common with shapechangers than canines, Jason has no choice but to rise to the rescue with his inner circle of warriors - and challenge the forces of chaos before they gain a foothold in the human lands.