After recovering from his wounds, Dean is keen to get back to his hometown, even if that means being part of a guild maintenance crew. But joining one will take him out of the comfort of his fellow Searchers in Hemmark. Plus, his hometown of Selene could turn out to be more dangerous than he could ever imagine. Meanwhile, Eloise manages to join the guild's governing council. And so does the Tender faction's latest minion. This is the turning point in the series, but which faction will go on to decide the fate of magic in Anproch -- the scholarly Searchers or the utilitarian Tenders?