The A'ras of Nyaesh have a terrifying reputation: skilled swordsmen, owners of powerful magic, and ruthless killers. When they kill her parents, Carth discovers her parents had trained her for magic she never knew she possessed. She must use the skills they taught to stay alive, discover a way to find answers, and avenge them if she can. Only the discovery of a greater threat than the A'ras forces her to risk herself for new friends and a home she never wanted.

When Carthenne Rel first came to Nyaesh, she feared the A'ras. Now she trains with them, struggling to use the magic they teach, and cut off from the shadow blessing within her. Isolated for her differences, she has only a few friends among the other students. When the strange and powerful Master Invar offers to teach her to access the powers warring within her, Carth is isolated even more. As the deadly Reshian attack the city, Carth discovers a secret, one linked to the shadows she must suppress, and the combination of her magic is key to the A'ras survival. She needs to master her...

Carthenne Rel survived the Hjan attack on the A'ras and has left the north, the only place she ever really known. Now she travels to better understand what it means that she's shadow born. Stranded by storms in a dangerous port city, she's captured while helping rescue a young girl from slavers. Discovering her mysterious captor's agenda forces her to play his games in order to escape, only to realize she hasn't finished with the Hjan. The lessons her captor has taught just might be the key to defeating them for good while protecting all of the north.

Dark power builds. The Khalan prepare for their final attack. Only a few understand the true nature of the threat, and each must overcome their past to secure their future. In Atenas, the dark summoners of the Khalan press their attack. Alena's discovery of how to use spirit gives them an advantage, but the Khalan have numbers, and have infiltrated much of the city. Forced to lead, Alena struggles with the expectations now placed upon her. Returned from captivity and now a master of summoning, Ciara is the key to stopping the Khalan and Tenebeth for good, but she will need the help of both...

The arrival of the mysterious Magi, along with their near invincible guardians, signals a change. For Jakob, apprentice historian, and son of a priest longing for adventure, it begins an opportunity. When his home is attacked, Jakob starts a journey that will take him far from home and everything he has ever known. Studying with a new swordmaster, he gains surprising skill, but also strange new abilities that make him fear the madness which has claimed so many has come to him. He must withstand it long enough to finish the dangerous task given to him, one that with his new abilities he may be...

As the twisted groeliin press their way south, countless lives will be lost unless Roelle can find help, forcing her to go to an enemy for aid. It's a dangerous gamble, but she can think of no alternative, not if she intends to save as many as possible. Jakob continues having strange visions and struggles with what he's becoming. No longer does he question that he has power, but the only person who might be able to answer is trapped in Thealon. They must reach her before all is lost. Doing so forces them to face an army of Deshmahne and a horde of groeliin. As their paths converge, war...

Endric wants only to serve, but he's destined to lead. As the second son of the general of the Denraen, Endric wants only to fight, not the commission his father demands of him. When a strange attack in the south leads to the loss of someone close to him, only Endric seems concerned about what happened. All signs point to an attack on the city, and betrayal by someone deep within the Denraen, but his father no longer trusts his judgment. This forces Endric to make another impulsive decision, one that leads him far from the city on a journey where he discovers how little he knew, and how much...