War brews between the Northern Nations of Edrial and their Southern rival, the Freelands. Trapped in the middle is the kingdom of Aneska-fractured, volatile, and hiding secrets beneath its crumbling crown.Sixteen-year-old Wilhelm Augur, a sharp-tongued apprentice summoner with a talent for trouble, is sent to Aneska under suspiciously vague orders to "listen and learn." He's assigned to join Princess Lasira Eadroh of Enelise-brilliant, idealistic, and dangerously skeptical of tradition-on a diplomatic mission to strengthen political ties.Neither expects a kingdom teetering on civil war.As tensions rise, rumors spread of an ancient artifact-the Heart of the North-powerful enough to tip the balance of the world. Meanwhile, Wilhelm begins hearing voices, thinking thoughts that aren't his own. Something dark is stirring inside him.And from the South, Cor the Dreadsin and his Freelander army march ever closer, their fury threatening to ignite the continent.Kingdoms are falling. Powers are awakening.And Wilhelm still has no idea what "listen and learn" was ever supposed to mean... Patrick McNaughton currently dwells in Maine. Armed with a degree in philosophy, he braves the perils of a 9-to-5 like any mortal scholar.When not battling bills, conquering laundry, or conjuring the perfect cup of coffee, he rises each hush of night, weaving tales of Light and Dark, and the rest of the day plotting the twists and turns of his fantasy series, suspecting that vacations are a myth...