This prequel to the Old Kingdom series tells the story of how Sabriel's parents, Terciel and Elinor, met. In the Old Kingdom, a land of ancient and often terrible magics, orphan Terciel learns the art of necromancy from his great-aunt Tizanael. He is the Abhorsen-in-Waiting, and Tizanael is the Abhorsen, the latest in a long line of people whose task it is to make sure the Dead do not return to Life. Across the Wall in Ancelstierre, Elinor's only...

Polly's stay with her grandparents in Connecticut becomes an extraordinary experience as she encounters old friends and mysterious strangers and finds herself traveling back in time to play a crucial role in a prehistoric confrontation.