Idris lost his name when he was twelve years old. His title, his ancestral home and his freedoms were stripped from him in a freak accident that changed everything. Since then, he has worked tirelessly at the side of his best friend, Queen Cressida Naga, to become a worthy courtier for her kingdom - except the title of Court Necromancer has always brought stares and whispers.

After a brutal war breaks down the barriers of the kingdom, Idris finds himself entangled in a spate of break-ins and thefts that he would rather do without. But a trip to the kingdom's edge proves to him that nothing happening in Veridia is accidental - and someone else might be harbouring similar powers to his. With his attendant Lila, Idris has to cross the country to clear his name and find out the truth behind the dark magic that threatens his home, before he becomes powerless to stop it.