A Court above the clouds. Ten fae champions. A kingdom to be won. Torn from Thorne's side, Aster finds herself bound to Faolan by the magic of a faerie bargain. To pay off her debts, he expects her to compete in the Alder Trials, a deadly competition to determine the next King or Queen of Faerie. And not only is Aster a human competing against the impossibly powerful heirs to the Fae Courts, she soon discovers that Thorne will also be competing . . . Against her. Exposed to the cruel, cunning politics of the Fae Courts, Aster must risk everything both in and out of the trials. And at the end of it all, which will she choose--a faerie kingdom or her heart?