 The setting is Qualinost, Pax Tharkas, and the borderlands between Qualinost and Thobardin.The book begins with Elansa Sungold going to the border to heal a group of trees with her Blue Phoenix, a magical artifact passed down since the Age of Dreams to woodshapers in her family.The Blue Phoenix is a symbol of Habbakuk, and the artifact may be a holy artifact of Habbakuk.