Decades of peace has ended. The real battle is still to come. Sam and Alec work to understand their connected magic, but the limited supply of easar paper limits them. Worse, Marin has again disappeared, leaving questions unanswered. How can they be ready for another Theln attack if they don't have an opportunity to train with their abilities? New power complicates everything. Sam wants to use it to continue taking jobs that will eventually buy her way into the nicer sections of the city, but Alec sees a higher purpose to their magic. When an opportunity Alec thought he would never have is offered, he needs to decide whether to follow his heart or his mind. Sam feels like she should be more than a lowborn, but what is she without her Scribe? Strange attacks in the city leaves her thinking she and Marin aren't the only Kavers remaining, but why would Marin keep that from her? Finding the answers she and Alec need puts both of their lives in danger but might be the key to knowing whether she'll ever be anything more than a lowborn. The safety of the city just might depend on it.