Prologue: The people of the Protectorate believe they must sacrifice a baby every year to appease a witch who lives in the forest. They fear her wrath if they disobey. In truth, this story is based on lies and manipulation spread by the ruling Elders to control the people.

Chapter 1 – In Which a Story Is Told: A mother tells her child the terrifying story of the witch. She claims the witch is evil and will destroy them if they don’t give her a baby each year. This sets the tone of fear within the Protectorate.

Chapter 2 – In Which an Unfortunate Woman Goes Quite Mad: A woman, grieving the loss of her child to the yearly sacrifice, loses her sanity. Her sorrow becomes dangerous; she is imprisoned by the Sisters of the Star (the ruling order) as she resists the Protectorate’s cruel tradition.

Chapter 3 – In Which a Witch Accidentally Enmagicks an Infant: The witch, Xan, is actually kind and not what the Protectorate believes. Each year, she rescues the abandoned baby and carries it across the forest to give to a loving family on the Free Cities’ side. One year, she accidentally feeds a baby moonlight instead of starlight. This gives the child extraordinary magical powers.

Chapter 4 – In Which the Witch Contemplates Death: Xan realizes the baby (named Luna) has been enmagicked and that raising her will be complicated. Xan is very old and begins to wonder about mortality. Still, she chooses to keep Luna and raise her as her own.

Chapter 5 – In Which There Is a Discussion of Magic: Xan ponders the nature of magic. Normally, she gives her rescued children a bit of starlight, leaving them healthy and loved by new families. But Luna, filled with moonlight, is overflowing with unpredictable magic. Xan realizes she must protect both Luna and the world from magic’s instability.