Sponsored by a rich patron, Jez attends the Carceri Academy, the mystical school where many of the country's elite go to study. Though his patron forbids him to learn it, Jez finds he has an aptitude for battle magic. When a sleeping sickness sweeps the land, Jez begins experiencing strange visions of the creation of the world. He investigates them and discovers a trail of dark magic that indicates his patron may not be as benevolent as he originally believed, and Jez himself may be much older than anyone suspects.

When Jezreel is summoned to King Haziel's court, he's not overly worried. After defeating a powerful demon lord, what threat could a royal court pose? Little does he know there is more going on than even the king suspects and not every threat can be dealt with as a easily as a demon lord.

After his experiences battling the demons Marrowit and Maries, Jez is convinced he can handle anything. All that changes when he receives a visit from Sariel himself, lord of all the Shadowguard. The seven pharim lords are among the most powerful beings in all of creation, and one of them is missing. No pharim permitted to interfere in the business of another, but that restriction doesn't apply to Jez. He and is friends must discover what could've happened to one of the most powerful beings in the universe.