Katie Langford had been part of her family's acrobatic troupe working in a small traveling circus -- until a terrible fire killed her parents. Years later, still with the circus but stuck in an abusive marriage to a drunk, Katie fled to Brighton, a seaside resort town whose music halls meant no circus need visit.<br><br>Lionel Hawkens was a professional Air Magician who had a permanent job at the Palace Music Hall in Brighton. His shows never failed to enchant the ever-changing crowds, for even though he wasn't a Master, Lionel's sylphs helped him keep his shows far above average. Lionel wasn't the only one at the Palace who had magical abilities. Jack Prescott had lost a leg in the Boer Wars, but had a steady job at the Palace as the doorman. Jack had preternatural awareness of all flame, for he was also a magician and his aspect was Fire.<br><br>When Katie answered the Palace's call for a new assistant with stage experience, she couldn't believe her luck. Lionel could not believe it either -- not only had he found a perfectly suited assistant, but he could tell that Katie was like Jack: a magician whose aspect was Fire.<br><br>Though Jack and Lionel could see the glowing salamanders that snuggled up to Katie like a couple of cats, she herself seemed blind to the little Fire Elementals. Katie's power was blocked -- a potentially dangerous situation for everyone around her -- and Lionel and Jack could tell that she was hiding something. Something that frightened her.<br><br>Would the two magicians be able to teach Katie to control her Element before whatever threatened her became real?
