Sonea, former street urchin, now a Black Magician of Kyralia, is horrified when her son, Lorkin, volunteers to assist Dannyl in his new role as Guild Ambassador to Sachaka, a land still ruled by cruel black magicians. When word comes that Lorkin has gone missing Sonea is desperate to find him, but if she leaves the city she will be exiled forever, and her old friend Cery needs her help. Most of his family has been murdered. The Thieves have been waging a deadly underworld war for years, and now it appears they have been doing so with magical assistance ...