Book excerpt: She's running out of time. And so is the world. Claire Emerson is up against the clock. After learning on her sixtieth birthday that she’s one of four Crones destined to save the world, she’s been desperately trying to acquire the lifetime of magic she missed out on. But the mages who are out to destroy everything she loves aren’t waiting, and when one of the other Crones ends up on Claire’s doorstep—wounded and unconscious—Claire knows she’s out of time. Leaving the safety of her house, she goes in search of the remaining Crones… only to find them under siege by the mages and the nearly indestructible monster they control. And without control over her powerful elemental magic, she has no idea how to rescue them. Can Claire harness her powers in time to help her fellow Crones defeat the mages—or will her efforts bring even greater disaster?