Sciona Freynan has spent her entire life aiming for one goal: to become a high magus in the city of Tiran. In a society where...

Sciona Freynan has spent her entire life aiming for one goal: to become a high magus in the city of Tiran. In a society where magic is a rigorous, mathematical science called “spellography,” women are strictly forbidden from the upper echelons of the craft. When Sciona defies the odds and becomes the first female high magus in history, she finds herself isolated, mocked, and denied the resources she needs to conduct her research.Forced to accept a “janitor”—a refugee named Thomil—as her lab assistant, Sciona’s initial prejudice gives way to a shaky partnership. As they work together to stabilize Tiran’s flickering magical barrier, they uncover a horrifying truth: the city’s eternal prosperity is built on a foundation of unimaginable suffering and a dark secret that the High Magistry has killed to protect. Sciona must decide if the pursuit of knowledge and her own ambition are worth the cost of the blood that powers her world.