In this four-story anthology, Mr Pitren Warvel makes a mess of his sorcery; a young reporter pursues Lady Evastany Glostrum for an interview; Rikbeek the gwaystrel encounters a spy; and the Sanfaer family develop a new approach to keeping poultry. Set in the world of the Draykon Series and featuring many of the same characters, these tales discuss life in the Seven Realms prior to the events of the first Draykon novel. The anthology includes 10,000 words of short fiction, and also contains an excerpt from the first novel.