Two months after Bantheir's betrayal, Irina is learning how to live in a world where magic is not only real, but a part of her everyday life. As a spy for Parnaby, the shadowy president of the city of Dusk, Irina has to pretend Parnaby's manipulation magic worked on her and she doesn't remember his horrifying proclamation about Vernen. If her friend, brought back from the dead by an ancient source of magic, begins to show even a hint of magic, Parnaby will kill him without hesitation. When a mysterious woman named Aeonia confronts Irina, she threatens to tell Parnaby everything Irina is...

For Claudette and Emile Borde, living in the city of Ayres and working on their parents' farm has never been enough. Influenced by stories of the past, in which magic was real and the dragons still lived, the siblings have always dreamed of leaving their city behind and embarking on their own adventures. But as squires training to become full-fledged knights, they must renounce magic, for it was magic that nearly tore the world apart during the old wars. When the carnival comes to the city, Claudette meets Aeonia, and the two become fast friends. But Aeonia is no simple girl playing at...