When Merkel seizes the opportunity to become more than just the despised heir to the throne, it results in his father's murder. As Langdon descends into civil war, hastened by the rot at its core, Merkel must gather allies and dodge enemies all the while desperately trying to keep his kingdom from being made a vassal state of Brac. Hunted by hostile nobles and Bracian mages, separated from his friends, he gambles on his newfound abilities to save his country, even though these abilities could prove to be the downfall of him, his friends and his kingdom.