Mass Market Paperback. Condition: Very Good-. Illustrated by Williams, Eric (Cover) (illustrator). First Edition. Paperback original, first printing. Spine slightly slanted, minor edge wear, some creases on spine, corners bumped. A nice copy. ; 5¾" - 6¾" Tall; 328 pages; "Now that Shield Lee Mallorough and her incredibly handsome Source, Shintaro Karish, have done their fair share of grunt work in the Southern Islands, they have returned to the city of High Scape to resume their duties as a Pair. But upon their arrival, they discover that the city once besieged by immense disaster seems to have calmed down. Instead, the townspeople are obsessed with a ritualistic magic--one that anyone can study and learn. Lee most certainly doesn't believe in magic--or at least not this kind. But she can't deny that tomb robbing for ashes to use in spells is rather disturbing, especially when even the living are being murdered for their remains. Lee fears that Taro is in grave danger, for who could be thought to work better as a charm than her handsome and talented Source.".