Inan. A planet where the nation states have been at war for over half a millennium. So are they ready for peace? Only at a price. In a world where magic and technology have become intertwined, the Mages of each nation state—the ultimate wizards—have become the ultimate weapons. So what happens when one of them is abducted, and the planet is threatened with a new war that could lead to global annihilation? The ultimate weapons will meet the ultimate warrior, Simeon 7. Encountering military might, political machinations, and magical manifestations, those who would oppose him soon find that nothing can break the determination of a warrior on a mission.

Nicco Salarum is a good thief, a stealthy gentleman burglar who makes his dubious living on the rough streets of Azbatha Nicknamed the 'Pit-On-Stilts' - a dangerous, overcrowded and corrupt city in the island nation of Turith. But Nicco is in trouble after he ditched an expensive stolen shipment rather than kill a security guard. That shipment 'belonged' to a local mob boss, and now Nicco must repay what the shipment was worth. So when Xandus, a magus from the other side of Turith, offers Nicco a seemingly easy task - steal the so-called 'magic necklace' of a visiting dignitary - for an enormous amount of money, Nicco thinks his prayers have been answered. But the job is not all it seems, and soon Nicco is Turith's most wanted fugitive. Where has Xandus disappeared to? Why is the dignitary suddenly on his deathbed? And what does all this have to do with a foreign city's impending religious revolution?

Leah is a simple gardener, tending the psychic plants that can create chemical and psychological weapons of immense magical power. But she dreams of so much more, hoping for a better life within the walls of the Great Castle. Her calm ordered existence is tainted by sickness and plague, a contagion that picks its victims, possessing something very like intelligence. In a world where science and magic willingly embrace each other, Leah discovers a terrifying secret that may tip her world into madness and chaos worse than any mere war. With no one to help her, and no one willing to believe her, Leah is forced to confront her worst fears alone if she hopes to save the lives of the people she loves. Out there in the dark, the worm is waiting. And the worm is so very hungry...