Matthew finds himself at loose ends when the kind man he’s spent years serving passes away. He has few skills and fewer options, and he soon finds others wanting to take advantage of that. When help comes from the last place he’d have expected, Matthew puts his faith in a man he’s heard dozens of contradictory stories about. Aiden has always been an outcast. He’s the illegitimate son who was loved more than the legitimate ones, and the fact he’s a dragon shifter and magic wielder makes some fear him and others hate him. He takes a chance when he realizes an old enemy has nefarious plans, and he ends up leaving with Matthew in tow, his heart unexpectedly joyful at the thought of making a new friend. Surprises find them wherever they go, and soon both of them are wondering if the gods of Arizia are responsible for the winding roads that led them to each other.