Magic has been banished in the land of Syhl Shallow for as long as best friends Jax and Callyn can remember. They once loved the stories of powerful magesmiths and mythical scravers who conjure fire or controlled ice, but now they've learned magic only leads to danger: magic is what killed Callyn's parents, leaving her to raise her younger sister. Magic never helped Jax, whose leg was crushed in an accident his father has punished him for ever since. Magic won't save either of them when the tax collector comes calling. Meanwhile, Jax and Callyn are astonished to learn a magemsith has returned to Syhl Shallow - and he's married to their new queen. Now, the people of Syhl Shallow are expected to allow dangerous magic in thair midst, and no one is happy about it. When a stranger rides into town offering Jax and Callyn silver in exchange for holding secret messages for an antimagic faction, the choice is obvious - even if it means they may be aiding a plot to destroy their new king. It's a risk they're willing to take. That is, until another visitor arrives in town: handsome Lord Tycho, the King's Courier, the man tasked with discovering who's conspiring against the throne. Suddenly Jax and Callyn find themselves embroiled in a world of shifting alliances, dangerous flirtations, and an ancient magic... where even the deepest loyalties will be tested.

YF / FAN kdt