The party’s long journey brings them at last to the hidden Ti Temple, where the Simiah guard an ancient heartstone at the crossing of two powerful ley lines. Surrounded by spears and regarded with suspicion, Apple must prove that he is more than the ringless stranger Titima believes him to be.

As food, stories, pipeweed, and music soften the hostility between them, Apple delivers a warning born from the destruction of his own home: abandon the temple—or share Ru Temple’s fate. By morning, the Simiah must decide whether protecting the Ti Stone means standing their ground…or carrying it away.