Tensions are high after Prince Selcott's father has failed to bring the Expatritors into line with the other guilds in Guithannan.
Selcott himself has yet to learn a trade or prove himself worthy of his royal heritage. When he encounters a scheme involving saexum crystals - the powerful but personal artifacts of each Guithannan citizen - Selcott must choose between duty or his family.
Rianne and Kieft live under the regime of the Expatritors, a powerful warriors guild whose influence stretches across the land. Rianne dreams of becoming an Expatritor warrior but after encountering an inexplicable monster in the forest of Shadowdeep, she and Kieft are drawn into a plot to rid the land of the Expatritors forever.