Jed finally comes to terms with his love for Nicole, but at the terrible price of complete vulnerability to the political schemes of Prince Derek. Believing Nicole is pregnant, Derek and his mother conspire to poison the young "princess." However, Jed and the Apothecary's tribe secretly plan to thwart them. Little do they all know that the Apothecary Shahi has his own designs on their fate. Meanwhile, Prince Glewhin and Prince June travel to a meeting of their Alliance only to discover more political intrigue that threatens Glewhin's marriage to Princess Reiny, as well as the fragile peace that governs both their lands. Conspiracies abound, but only one faction may triumph. And treachery may be the determining factor.

Prince Jed lies imprisoned on charges of treason. Now only a heartbeat away from the throne, Prince Derek wishes to end his bitter conflict with Jed, once and for all. He offers a way to bring back Nicole, but only in exchange for Jed's life. Jed must confess to every dark crime he's falsely accused of and then suffer a death sentence. Glewhin and June discover a horrible treachery amongst their allies and Princess Reiny's life may be at stake. Meanwhile, even as he languishes in prison, Jed commands the loyalty of the army and his soldiers offer him a dreadful choice. Fight the false charges of treason in a trial he's doomed to lose... or overthrow the king and make the treason charges into a reality. The old king observes all the political games with a calculating eye. Soon, he'll make his move and eliminate the game of all its players. And once again, Nicole lies at the center of the plans.

After so long apart, Elianna and Chris are finally reunited at last, but the repercussions of the epidemic known as the Ashen Nightmare still linger. When Elianna works herself to exhaustion trying to sort out the aftermath, her father whisks her away from the royal palace and sentences her to strict bedrest at the Bernstein estate. How will Chris cope with being cut off from his beloved yet again? In the meantime, a visit to the port city of Kelk to gather evidence of the Odin faction’s crimes takes a few of our heroes on a trip down memory lane. Will they manage to track down the crooks who hurt their loved ones and bring them to justice, or will the culprits give them the slip?