For fans of Nevermoor and Howl's Moving Castle comes an epic middle grade fantasy about a girl with the ability to unlock anything-including the empire's darkest secrets.
Melanie Gate is a foundling with a peculiar talent for opening the unopenable-any lock releases at the touch of her hand. One night, her orphanage is visited by Traveler, a sentient gearling intent on peace and freedom. But Traveler was programmed to be a weapon of war, a mindless servant to the empire. To escape his fate, he makes Melanie an offer: Help him, and he'll teach her how to do actual magic. But Melanie never expected to uncover the source of her own true powers along the way-or learn that she may be the only one who can save the empire. Zack Loran Clark is a writer and editor based in New York who fervently hopes that magic is real. He and his best friend, Nick Eliopulos, have also authored the middle grade Adventurers Guild trilogy.
