So when one morning he finds his mother crawling sickened from the swamp, he has no choice but to summon a mage to help her. But mages are feared figures, reminders of the ways the swamp can twist people, and her arrival has greater repercussions than Nereus bargained for. As long-held family secrets are uncovered and an unexpected threat arrives on the doorstep, Nereus must ask himself: what really makes a monster?