Princess Elowen Atarah rides through the Terrwyn Forest during a storm, seeking information about Vareveth soldiers spotted near her hidden kingdom, Aestilian. Her companion Finnian Eira joins her as they approach a seaside tavern where soldiers have been seen. Armed with knives, including two dragon daggers, Elowen enters and climbs to the attic to spy through the floorboards.

She overhears officers discussing King Eagor of Vareveth and their commander, Cayden Veles. The soldiers believe that the war with Imirath may end soon because King Garrick seems to have found a way to control the dragons. Elowen is shocked by this possibility and the news that the officers are searching for her.

A scarred man confronts Elowen in the attic, and she attacks him. He overpowers her, but she breaks free and holds a knife to his throat. He says that she could be useful and asks if she would meet with his commander. A monster called a netherwraith then crashes through the roof. Elowen tells the man to meet her alone the next night at Lake Neera, throws a knife into the beast to cause a diversion, and flees. As she escapes, the man warns that he will find her no matter where she hides.

Elowen finds Finnian waiting outside with their horses. As they ride away, Finnian reports that soldiers told him that their commander was making them search for something. Elowen confesses that they’re looking for her but omits the details of the planned meeting. Finnian adds that the soldiers’ commander, who has a recognizable scar on his face, is with them, and Elowen realizes that the man in the attic was Cayden Veles, “the most feared warlord on the continent” (21).

Elowen decides that she must strike a deal with Vareveth to address Aestilian’s dwindling food supply. Finnian argues against it, fearing that her father will kill her. She insists that she can’t hide forever and must act on her own terms. Finnian expresses his fear of losing another sibling, and they embrace. Elowen resolves to attend the meeting with Cayden, determined to protect Aestilian and never be imprisoned again.

The next day, Elowen wakes feeling anxious about her meeting with Cayden. She recalls founding Aestilian with her uncle Ailliard and the four guards who helped her escape Imirath. To keep the meeting secret and prevent Ailliard from increasing patrols, she lies to Finnian about her plans and fakes severe menstrual cramps to get him out of the way for the evening.

Elowen arrives at the appointed meeting place at dusk and hides her horse near a cave. Cayden ambushes her and ties her to a tree as a precaution, and she takes her first clear look at his scarred face and emerald eyes. He presents a vial of elixir that promotes crop growth on infertile soil as his token of good faith. He then reveals that he knows she’s Princess Elowen and asks if she has considered reclaiming her dragons. Elowen remembers how her mother allowed an interrogator to beat her every year in an attempt to learn how to break her bond with her dragons. When she was 10 years old, her father hired a mage to sever the bond, but the spell backfired. The dragons killed several people in the ensuing frenzy, including her mother and Ailliard’s sister, Queen Isira.

Cayden proposes a heist to free the dragons on the conditions that she remain in Vareveth afterward and use the dragons against Imirath in the war. He explains that while his monarchs know of the alliance he intends to forge with her, the heist is a secret military operation under his sole authority. Elowen demands to be untied. Once free, she punches him and warns him never to restrain her again. She adds her own terms to their agreement, including a steady food supply and more elixir for Aestilian. Cayden agrees. They formally pledge to aid and defend one another, with him promising her his sword and her promising him her “knives and dragon fire” (32). She proposes that they steal a book from a nearby fire cult as practice for the heist.

While riding to the cult, Elowen and Cayden negotiate. Elowen refuses to let him escort her from Aestilian or reveal its location to him, so they agree to meet at the temple ruins of the God of Earth. She also demands that their vows be put in writing and signed before she enters Vareveth.

At the fire cult’s camp, they observe a ritual where the high priestess conjures illusory dragons using magical powder. They sneak into the priestess’s tent, and Elowen retrieves a book titled The Flames of the Dragon. As they escape, the priestess stops them, calls Elowen the “dragon queen reborn from the ashes” (39), and gives her a ruby amulet on a gold chain. She warns that if Elowen puts the necklace on before she’s ready, the fire in her soul will kill her. Cayden takes the amulet for safekeeping. As they leave, the priestess tells Elowen, “Make them fear the flames of a queen” (39).

The following day, Finnian sees the elixir and book. Elowen confesses her deal with Cayden, omitting only the heist. Finnian is worried but affirms his support and asks when they leave. They go to tell Ailliard.

Ailliard is furious, saying that Elowen has made a “deal with a demon” and demanding that she back out (46). Elowen refuses and argues that Aestilian needs a long-term solution for survival. Finnian defends her and tells Ailliard to show her more respect. Afterward, Elowen calms herself by throwing knives at a target and tells Finnian that, while Ailliard fears Imirath coming for her, Imirath has no idea what is coming for them.

The next day, Ailliard approaches Elowen in her garden and apologizes for the way he spoke to her. He questions whether Cayden is blackmailing her but ultimately accepts her decision, admitting that he always knew she had a fire in her and had prepared her for court life just in case. He announces that he’ll accompany her to Vareveth to assist with treaty negotiations and that he’s has arranged a new gown and spending money for her and Finnian. They embrace.

On the day of her departure, Elowen has breakfast with Nyrinn, the healer who trained her. Nyrinn supports her decision to leave, warns her not to trust Vareveth’s healers, and sends her off with a leather satchel of healing supplies.

Elowen returns home to finish packing. When she steps outside, she sees that the people of Aestilian have gathered to cheer for her. Finnian offers his arm, recalling how she was the first person he saw when he arrived in Aestilian as a 10-year-old after his family was killed. She conceals her tears, mounts her horse, and rides into the mist without looking back.

The next morning, the group is ambushed by a violent clan that burns villages as a form of worship. Elowen and Finnian fight together and kill several attackers before a tentacled monster called a vextree emerges from a nearby pond and drags Finnian underwater. As Elowen charges to save him, Cayden and his soldiers arrive and save her from an attacking clan member.

Elowen leaps onto the monster and kills it, though its blood burns her hands. She emerges to find a venomous spike in Finnian’s shin. Cayden and his general, Ryder Neredras, hold Finnian down while Elowen removes the spike and treats the wound. Finnian screams in agony before falling unconscious as the treatment takes effect. Elowen apologizes to Ryder for fighting him during the attack. She then tends to her injured guards and sends them back to Aestilian.

The group arrives at the temple ruins at dusk. After settling in, Elowen and Cayden formally sign their written vows with Ailliard’s approval. Cayden tells her that his “intentions are never honorable” (74).

Cayden becomes angry when he notices that Elowen hasn’t treated the burns on her hands from the vextree’s blood. He gently cleans and bandages her injuries while she asks about the first step of the heist. He reveals that they must go to Kallistar, the sea prison, to retrieve the key to the dragon chamber. He notices the old shackle scars on her wrists and tells her, “Good night, angel” (78). After he leaves, she whispers, “Good night, demon” (78).

After four days of travel, the group approaches Verendus, the capital of Vareveth. The sound of cheering crowds triggers an anxiety attack in Elowen. Finnian tries to comfort her while Ailliard tells her to be stronger, sparking an argument between the two men. Elowen suppresses her fear. Cayden tells her that he’s arranged for her to be announced with her full titles, outlines security measures for the parade, and compliments her flower crown before they ride in.

They process through Verendus as flower petals rain down. King Eagor and Queen Valia receive them on the castle steps, and Eagor announces her as the lost princess of Imirath and queen of Aestilian. As the crowd cheers, Elowen reflects that beautiful things can be treacherous.

A banquet is announced for that night, and a servant leads Elowen to a tower suite. She discovers that Cayden occupies the adjoining suite, which is complete with a shared balcony and a connecting door, an arrangement that he insists is for her protection. After Elowen takes a long bath, a maid named Hyacinth helps her dress in a new lavender gown and a crown that Finnian forged for her. Elowen sees herself as a blend of the princess she should have been and the queen she became.

Cayden arrives to escort her, visibly taken aback by her appearance. As they walk to the banquet hall, she states that she won’t bow to the king and queen, and he replies that he never does either. A herald announces their arrival, the doors open, and they enter together.