War is coming to Oreyn. Magic is vanishing. Neither problem matters much to Jek until he is pulled out of the slums and forced into the world of the Great Houses. A bastard heir to a dying magical family, Jek is caught up in the scheming of his half-sisters, who see him as the proof of their father's betrayal. He's powerless, out of place, and has no-one he can trust. Jek's scramble to make a home for himself in a world that will never accept him...