Two decades after the slaughter of Ardveld's royal family, Matthew could almost forget he'd ever been the crown prince. His survival a secret from all but his closest friend, the expectations of his birth have been consigned to history.

A job. A family. He thought he'd moved on.

But when his eighteen-year-old son Alex is arrested and taken to the palace, Matthew realizes his past has caught up with him.

Meanwhile, novice mage, delivery driver, and part-time thief Roy is looking for answers. A simple break-in takes a sinister turn when he stumbles across a weapon imbued with destructive magic and glowing with the sigil of Ardveld's deceased royalty.

Across the city, a string of strange magic attacks prompts an investigation by Ardveld's newly appointed Head of Magical Affairs, Tamara. What she discovers threatens to reveal the truth about Ardveld's takeover, and will determine the future of the survivors.