The Third and Final book of the Secret Country Trilogy! Three things have the power to destroy the Secret Country: the Border Magic, the Crystal of Earth, and the whim of the dragon. The cousins Ted, Laura, Ruth, Patrick, and Ellen have faced the first two; now, summoned back to the Secret Country, they must face the third. The Country's most trusted counselors now know that the five are impostors, somehow thrust into the roles of royalty, but no one knows who has been playing with their destinies. The truth lies with only Chryse, the unicorn, and Belaparthalion, the dragon. But getting to them, and speaking with them, is more complex and dangerous than it seems…. “Pamela Dean’s Secret Country books are required reading for anyone who loves fantasy. Get them!”—Will Shetterly, author of Dogland

Three things have the power to destroy the Secret Country: the Border Magic, the Crystal of Earth, and the whim of the dragon. The cousins have faced the first two; now they face the third.

Ted, Ruth, Patrick, Laura, and Ellen are summoned back to the Secret Country for a final showdown with the unknown, and they need Chryse, the unicorn, and Belaparthalion, the dragon, to uncover hidden truths.

Jessica-Lyn Kilian has a new Alpha and one would think it's sad that her Alpha is dead. He was her brother. After years of abuse and isolation, she has hope. Only it's dashed by this intimidating man. He tars her with the same brush as her brother. Blaming her for not alerting the authorities of their plight. He demands to take control as his right. Jessie's brother had attacked his pack and died. Alrick Johannsen of the Silver Ridge Pack has just returned from battle to save the Ruling Council(NARC). His pack is under attack by a fool and he dies. Alrick doesn't get the satisfaction of putting his miserable hide down. The law forces him to deal with the ruins of this pack. Victor of Iron Hill Pack has a sister. She claims not to know his illegal activities. Since she didn't inform anyone of those activities. Alrick is holding her responsible. He decides suddenly to punish her. She will serve him until he decides what to do with her. Jessie has three choices. Place herself at the mercy of NARC, accept his punishment, or leave. Leaving is death, her brother's actions saw to that. As a rogue, NARC or Alrick will kill her legally. Alrick told her there was no place for her in his pack or any other. What will she do? How will Alrick respond? Will their bond bloom into a soulbond? Or will the discovery of her brother alive destroy it? After all, Alrick must by law hunt and kill Victor.

Logan has loved Emma for years. But after he stole a kiss when they were teens and she brushed it off with a laugh, he tried to settle for being her friend, especially once he realized she wasn’t his true mate. However, no matter how much time passes, he can't seem to get over her. Deciding to leave Lochguard and finish his doctor studies, Logan hopes that with space he can forge a new path. As a sort of farewell, he agrees one last time to help her with her geocaching—a modern form of treasure hunting—adventure. Except during the excursion, he pushes Emma out of the way to save her life and gets hit on the head, knocked unconscious, and nearly dies. When Logan wakes up and doesn’t recognize or remember Emma, her world tilts. If her best friend being gone isn’t enough to worry about, this different Logan keeps looking at her with heat in his eyes. Years ago, she'd pushed him away to avoid her greatest fear—falling in love. However, as he helps her on her treasure hunt, each touch, whisper, and kiss tempts her to take the plunge. It takes everything she has to resist him, especially since his memories don't seem to be returning. As the stakes and danger amp up in her quest to find the final clue, Emma soon finds herself falling for Logan. Will she finally give in and risk her heart? Or will Emma find a way to resist Logan and watch him walk away to prevent any sort of pain in the future?