Erika-a-Leora is a gunpowder mage. But in Kez, this type of magic is punishable by death. Her only protection is her noble name and position as heir to the dukedom. When she decides to help a little commoner sentenced to death, she puts not only her family's reputation in danger, but also her own life. On the way to Adro, she will have to play cat and mouse with the magic hunters and their leader, Duke Nyxlaus. The action takes place thirty-five years before the events of “Blood Covenant.”