*In the first book of this epic fantasy trilogy by Miles Cameron, author of The Red Knight, a young magician in training takes up a sword and is unwittingly drawn into a violent political upheaval.* Aranthur is an up-and-coming young magician. But the world is not safe, and after a confrontation leaves him no choice but to demonstrate his mastery of the blade, Aranthur is assigned to train under the tutelage of a famous swordmaster. During intense training, he begins to doubt his bloody life. And while he learns from the master, he finds himself at the center of a political uprising that will affect everyone he comes to know. To protect his friends, Arnathur will be forced to decide whether he can truly follow the swordmaster into a life of violence and cold-blooded devotion to the blade.