Being a mage is a solitary profession. Being part of the Magistrate of Limboratii helps, but still, nobody wants to be friends with the prodigy, with the overachiever, the soon-to-be-Archmage Arran Kerodin.

Except for Tristan. He's no mage, just a man blown into the city by the desert winds, hunted by a monster.

As Arran and Tristan grow closer, the Archmage becomes suspicious of Tristan's place in Arran's life. Friendship makes Arran preoccupied, it makes his magic unstable, and that is all the reason the Archmage needs to banish Tristan from Limboratii, using his power over the mage circle to separate them for good.

Not willing to lose his best friend, Arran no longer stands by and soon finds that the Archmage is the least of his troubles.