Ian Troy sacrificed everything for peace. After centuries of conflict, the realms of Mirra'kelan are united. His magic is no longer needed. Free to choose his own path, Ian sets sail on a journey of exploration with his friend and ally, Jarryd Kane.

Months on the open sea, far from the shores of home, they arrive at an isolated chain of rocky islands shrouded in mystery--the Wandering Isles. Their inhabitants, rumored to produce spirits of an exceptional quality, have gone unseen for many years. Assuming the lands abandoned, Ian is unaware of what awaits them: a race of insidious beings unlike any he has encountered before.

Coerced into a nefarious trade by the elusive islanders, reality blurs, as Ian and Jarryd become unwitting subjects in a series of mind-bending trials. Past and future fears, resurrected and melded into their own private hells, force them to face an inescapable enemy--the darkest recesses of their own minds. The only way out is to complete the trade, but will their sanity survive the process?

*The Wandering Isles is the first in a series of novellas that take place after The Crown of Stones Trilogy. While it draws from characters and events from all three books, it can be read as a stand-alone introduction to The Crown of Stones universe.