Bestselling author Tanya Huff presents an all-new world of action and intrigue, where survivors of a disastrous war have outlawed all magic in favor of shared knowledge—but all is not as it seems.

Ryan Marsan was never meant to be Heir to the Lord Protector. But his brothers are dead, and for the first time in decades, the Black Flame that protects his people is flickering. Ryan must retrieve its fuel from the mage-destroyed wastes of the Broken Lands, leading Scholars with more knowledge, warriors with more experience, and an ambitious cousin with the morals of a cat.

His authority rests with the weapon. The only mage-crafted artifice to survive the wars, it responds to the command of the heirs of Marsanport. While its capabilities are mysterious, its brutality is legend.

Except Ryan soon discovers some mysteries are really omissions. The weapon is more than it appears and the Broken Lands will reveal secrets, lies, and the horrors of twisted sorcery. Even his companions hide more than he knows.

With Marsanport's future at risk, Ryan can only race forward, hoping to survive, keep his friends alive—and see truth where it is, not where he wants it to be…