Three years have passed since Beka Cooper almost died in the sewers of Port Caynn, and she is now a respected member of the Provost's Guard.

These are people with power, money, and influence, and they are able to hire the most skilled of mages, well versed in the darkest forms of magic, all of which makes them nearly impossible to identify.

This case—a Hunt that will take her to places she's never been before—will challenge Beka's tracking skills beyond the city walls, as well as her ability to judge exactly whom she can trust with her life and her country's future.

The ship stops at Blue Harbor to pick up Master Farmer Cape, a Provost's mage unknown to Beka and Tunstall.

The group heads to the Summer Palace, indicating the king is involved as the royal family has been in residence there for a week and a half.

They arrive at the beach, where Master Farmer shows he has great talents by creating a light within stones with quartz crystals (for use as a torch) and found two ships recently sunk under the water.

Beka and Tunstall search the woods nearby, where Achoo finds the prince's scent again, only for it to end at a riverbank, near the remains of several melted people.

Lord Gershom and Master Farmer, accompanied by guards and Pounce, find Beka's group and are relieved to learn the prince didn't go down in the ships.

Beka awakes to take Achoo out and finds Tunstall and Master Farmer cooking, as most servants are dead and none of the court know how.

As soon as the group docks, Achoo finds the scent again and the hunt continues into the Marshlands, where trail ends at burned down bridge.

At the other side of the Marshlands, Ormer heads back to the village and Achoo picks up the scent of Prince Gareth again near the burned bridge.

Leaving Queensgrace, Beka finds the four-leafed insignia of the conspiracy on Farmer's bag and begins to fear there must be a traitor in the group within the Hunt.

Beka and Farmer get tortured for information, while Sabine turns to the cause of the conspiracy with the promise of marrying Prince Baird and keeping Tunstall as a consort.

Farmer gets placed in Beka's cell; they orchestrate an escape to find and rescue Prince Gareth, and they make plans to marry when the hunt is over.

Beka and Pounce finds Prince Gareth who is being kept as a kitchen slave, then Farmer catches up, and Sabine, Tunstall, and Nomalla the lady knight of Halleburn rejoin the group declaring their loyalty to King Roger III.

Farmer determines that the army is on the side of King Roger III, and that Halleburn, Queensgrace, and Aspen Vale are all being sieged to stamp out the rebellion.

A determined, strong young woman in her twenties with icy blue-gray eyes and the ability to communicate with the souls of dead people and dust spinners as part of her service to the Black God of death.

She and Beka have been partners since the events in Bloodhound, and have come to an understanding beyond the commands taught by Phelan of the Provost's Guard: a mangled form of a language known as ‘Kyprish’, the native tongue of the Copper Isles.

A mage of prodigious skill, Farmer hides the bulk of his magical ability by acting silly and untrained.

A kind mother, Queen Jessamine adores her only son Prince Gareth and her husband King Roger III.