A long time ago, Mages and Humans lived side by side in balance. But Humans'' technological advances created the Surrogate, a hive-minded robot army that consumed everything in its path. The Mages fought for their survival in The Great Magic Machine War, dividing the world in two and driving all magic users to remote, technologically barren strongholds. Now, 20 years after the war stalled in a tense cease-fire, a trio of young apprentice mages—Charris, Trinh, and Ursa—must cross the ruined forests to deliver a magical cure to a nearby town. The three girls must learn to trust and rely on each other if they''re going to save the village. Meanwhile, the the Surrogate''s secret preparations to break the cease-fire may finally be complete.