With an influx of magic-bearing refugees pouring across the border, resources already thinned by war are stretched to the breaking point. Half the nobility in Sophy Dunbarron's court want her deposed, and the other half question her every decision. And every third person seems to be spontaneously manifesting magical powers. As Sophy's last ally seems to have vanished, it is up to her to navigate a political maze that becomes more complex and thorny by the day. And worse, Sophy is hiding a huge secret - one that could destroy her tenuous hold on the crown forever.