In Arden, the four guilds knew how to coax magic out from the basic building blocks of craft. Spinners knew how to spin and sew fabric in just the right way to make a cape fly, while a Forger could polish a mirror so shiny that it could reflect the future. There were also Gemmers, like Claire, who, if they were inclined, could carve entire armies from the sides of mountains. And finally, there were Tillers, those who could whisper sunlight from leaves or brew herbs into a dye that could paint something—or someone—the color of invisibility.

And it was this that had most interested Claire as she had stood in Woven Root’s colorful market and watched a teenage Spinner and Tiller dye countless pairs of boots for the hidden village’s assembling army. She’d offered to help them clean up, but instead of dumping out the cauldron, she’d stored it away, waiting until everyone was asleep before she carefully painted herself—clothes, pack, skin, and all—with the leftover Invis-Ability. It had all gone according to plan.

Sort of.

Maybe it was because it wasn’t a fresh batch of dye—or because she wasn’t a Tiller who could convince the herbs in the concoction to work at their highest potential—or maybe it was because she simply wasn’t as absorbent as fabric—but the results had been mixed: Claire really wasn’t so much invisible as she was camouflaged. In dim light, she vanished completely away. But if she stood within reach of a lantern’s glow, she could see herself as clear as ever. So long as she kept to the shadows and away from the noon sun, she would be invisible enough—she hoped.

And so, in the gloom of predawn, with her bottomless Hollow Pack filled with magical objects and Gemmer tools as well as a twig-looking pencil, Claire had slipped through the Camouflora and out of Woven Root.

It had been surprisingly easy. Everyone had been so focused on what might be coming for them on the other side of the veil that no one bothered to check who might be leaving. After all, no one would be reckless enough to leave, not with all of Arden now searching for the illegal village of alchemists—those few people who believed that magic shouldn’t be separated by guild and worked to jumble talents together.

But one person would have been reckless enough. And that’s exactly why Claire had to leave first.

It was Claire’s turn to do the right thing—to save Sophie.

Her sister, Sophie, was many things. She was reckless, willing to explore fireplaces and forbidden chambers. She was brave, grappling with magic and evil queens. She was Claire’s best friend.

And she was turning into a unicorn.

Claire had to figure out how to undo this, how to make sure Sophie remained human so that no one would hunt her sister.