Avren has been left ashen after the disastrous events at the Midsummer Games, where Ryder Kyteler took far more than Daurae Asche through the veil. With seemingly little they can do but wait for the oracles to find a way through, Saffron's apprehension grows as he's soon plagued by nightmares of someone crying out for his help; someone who sounds too much like the missing daurae. When a second tear through the veil is suddenly reported in the nearby town of Erelaine, Saffron is certain Ryder is behind it, and sees it as a chance to catch the man and use him to get through the veil to rescue those taken. But Erelaine isn't the only place the veil is being manipulated, and soon a trail of ravaging damage fractures through Alfidel. Ryder is searching for something, and Saffron doesn't know what would be worse-him finding whatever it is, or the consequences of his devastation to the veil in the process. Not only is Saffron determined to capture Ryder, he fears what could be so important that has Ryder taking so many risks. But catching up to him is easier said than done while traveling under the watchful eye of his royal entourage, with the pervasive nightmares keeping him awake at night, the growing tensions between himself and Cylvan, and being forced to navigate delicate political expectations as Alfidel's future Harmonious King. Throughout it all, Saffron uncovers that the chaos brewing in Alfidel, even Ryder Kyteler himself, may be sown from seeds planted centuries prior.