The harp was not imposing -- it was small and plain, its surface covered with nicks and scratches. Nonetheless, it was one of the greatest treasures in the world of Lyra -- for its music could make a dying man whole or a whole city die, according to the songs of old.

The harp had been lost for centuries until Emereck the minstrel stumbled across it in an abandoned castle. Emereck wished it had never been found at all -- for all magic has its price, and the greater the magic, the greater the cost...