Dalthinir’s life quickly unravels when he acts on suspicions about a fellow mage. After desperately using magic to escape an attempt on his life, he finds himself on trial for murder. But more is at stake than his reputation. In their greed for power, reckless mages are willing to risk a release of magic so powerful it will destroy the kingdom. He alone recognizes the peril. Prohibited from taking action, Dalthinir must decide what he is prepared to lose for the sake of the kingdom. Can he sacrifice everything he cares about to become a scorned and hunted renegade?

Hungry and desperate, Kylen knows what it’s like to be an outcast. Plucked from the streets by a tight-lipped stranger, he begins to dream of a better life. But his rescuer turns out to be a renegade mage. In an instant Kylen finds himself transformed from a person of no account to a dangerous fugitive. But much more than his life might be at stake. Dark forces are stirring, and an ancient evil is poised, ready to be unleashed on an unsuspecting kingdom. Comfortable and arrogant, the kingdom's mages are bent on destroying the one person capable of saving them.

Fleeing certain death, a young woman shrouded in mystery arrives in Periton. Rescued by the renegade mages Kylen and Dalthinir, she sets out with them for the ruined kingdom of Methesia. Hunted relentlessly by unseen enemies, the fugitives risk everything in crossing the border and heading for the former capital of Ettaran. Dangers multiply as the doomed city draws closer. The truth about its sinister reputation must soon be exposed. What they find in Ettaran could destroy them all. Mortals are flickers of candlelight before a power that shatters kingdoms.

Confusion reigns in both Tantel and Periton as King Garneth of Tantel prepares for war. But a new upheaval looms when foreigners known as the Exiles are unmasked. Settled covertly within easy reach of both kingdoms, their numbers include powerful mages hiding momentous secrets. Caught up in the turmoil, Dalthinir, Inga, and Trisanna seek answers, not least to Dalthinir’s most pressing question: what has become of Kylen? Underlying it all is a more alarming concern. Have dragons found new ways to interfere with humankind, in defiance of the prohibition?