Caliph Howl is the Duchy of Stonehold's reluctant High King. Thrust onto the throne at the age of twenty-three, Caliph has inherited Stonehold's dirtiest court secrets, including a brewing civil war. After months alone, the sudden reappearance of his former lover, Sena, is a welcome bit of relief. But Sena has her own legacy to claim: she has been trained from birth by the Shradnae witchocracy - adept in espionage and the art of magical equations writ in blood - and she has been sent to spy on the High King. Yet, there are magics that demand a higher price than blood. Sena secretly plots to unlock the Cisrym Ta, an arcane text whose pages contain the power to destroy worlds. The key to opening the book lies in Caliph's veins, forcing Sena to decide if her obsession for power is greater than her love for him. As the civil war looms and the last page of the Cisrym Ta waits to be read, Caliph and Sena must face the deadly consequences of their decisions. And the blood of these conflicts will stain this world and others forever.