Asha awakes in a locked cell with memories of Jin’s death and the Watcher’s obscure message. A Shadow visits her and introduces himself as Scyner, or the Shadraehin, and asks her to become a spy. The Administration is intent on destroying the underground Sanctuary of the Shadows and has been choking off their network of food supplies. The Shadraehin believes if they can find any evidence of wrongdoing, they can use it to blackmail the Northwarden (the creator of the Four Tenets) to leave them alone. Asha eagerly agrees to infiltrate their ranks; she plans on revealing her identity as the sole survivor of her school and attracting the Northwarden’s personal attention.

Davian awakes in a room, tied to a bed and bearing a Shackle on his arm. Wirr and the prisoner are asleep nearby and similarly bound. A man with a scarred face introduces himself as a fellow Gifted; he knows that Davian is an Augur. Davian tells him the truth about his mission. The man reveals himself to be Taeris Saar, the Elder who saved his life from attackers three years ago. Davian offers his gratitude. Taeris explains that he escaped before his execution by using Travel Stones (small rocks that create portals).

Taeris informs Davian that Ilseth Tenvar lied to him by using a mental shield to block an Augur’s ability to Read minds. Taeris believes the Boundary has weakened, but he doesn’t know Tenvar’s intentions in sending Davian. He warns Davian to pretend to be asleep when the prisoner awakes, saying that if Tenvar wanted Davian to find this man, then the prisoner, too, might be untrustworthy.

Taeris has long suspected that the Boundary is weakening and believes the prisoner is somehow connected. The prisoner is a Gifted who stands accused of using Essence to massacre a village in Desriel; he was headed to his public execution in Thrindar when Davian released him. Taeris wakes the prisoner, a young man named Caeden, who has no memories beyond the past three weeks. He only remembers waking up covered in someone else’ blood, after which he became the prime suspect of the massacre. Davian confirms that Caeden is telling the truth, and they agree not to turn him in. Taeris unties Caeden but leaves his Shackle on. They decide to go to Tol Athian to recover his memories. Suddenly, the door blasts open and the hooded creature from the forest appears with its spectral dagger. Taeris fights it off with Essence, and Caeden quickly grabs a Shackle from Wirr’s bag and binds it to the creature’s neck. The creature dies screaming, and the four men dash out of the building as 20 soldiers break in.

Taeris confirms that the creature Caeden killed was the Watcher, one of five “sha’teth”: creatures that Tol Athian uses to track down Gifted who are considered criminals. Four other sha’teth will soon be after them. Taeris advises them to head to the city of Thrindar, where the Song of Swords festival is being held. There, they could be smuggled into Ilin Illan with the royal entourage’s delegation of Gifted and reach Tol Athian. Taeris has proof that the ancient foe Aarkein Devaed’s monsters have returned. He shows them the scale of a dar’gaithin (a mythical snake), taken from the carcass of a creature found at the Boundary. Wirr speaks with considerable expertise on Andarran history and agrees that even if Devaed has not returned after 2,000 years, the evidence of the dar’gaithin alone is enough to alarm them. Taeris takes Davian aside and warns him to be cautious of Caeden, whose repressed memories may hide a dangerous agenda.

Asha enters her room to find Duke Elocien Andras, the Northwarden and the King’s brother, waiting for her with an attendant. She offers to help him find out why her friends were killed in Caladel. Elocien sees her sketches of Davian and Wirr on her desk and asks her to describe her friends. She tells him that Davian is loyal and quiet and forgets to share his burdens. She says that Wirr is loud, good at everything, and confident without being arrogant. Elocien looks at her with rapt attention and quickly returns to his stoic expression. He agrees to relocate her to his palace and informs the Council that they may elect a Gifted Representative as her mentor. The Council members are shocked that a Shadow would be given such a prestigious opportunity, but they have no powers to refuse the Northwarden’s demands.

Davian and his companions reach the crowded festival streets in Thrindar. Taeris reaches his contact, a Desrielite priest named Nihim, who agrees to harbor them in his temple and pass a message to Princess Karaliene Andras, requesting sanctuary. Wirr surmises that Nihim must be a Tol Athian spy who puts himself at great risk to help four Gifted. Two soldiers arrive and escort them into the packed stadium. They watch a match between a young Andarran swordsman against a much larger man who disarms him and wins. Princess Karaliene arrives and immediately spots Wirr. She commands him to follow her while the others remain behind. Her entourage objects to her being alone with this stranger, but Karaliene silences them. Taeris, Davian, and Caeden are equally shocked and perplexed. Behind closed doors, Karaliene looks at Wirr coldly and greets him as her cousin.

Wirr is secretly the son of Elocien Andras, the Northwarden, and Karaliene is relieved to see that he survived the school massacre in Caladel. Wirr had no knowledge of the tragedy and blames himself for the attack, knowing that people are searching for him. Wirr explains that Taeris and Caeden both have information about a disturbance at the Boundary, but Karaliene doesn’t trust the two men who have been sentenced as murderers. Wirr refuses to turn them in and convinces Karaliene to give him six weeks to return home with a full report. Karaliene agrees, adding that she will send along a protector. She remarks that he has changed for the better, and Wirr credits his change to spending time with people who treat him as an equal.

At an inn, Wirr reveals to Davian that he is Torin Wirrander Andras, son of Elocien Andras and third in line to the throne. Elocien once hated the Gifted until he discovered that his son was one. Wirr’s father and uncle planned to have him learn how to wield Essence, pass the Trials, and return to Ilin Illan with his Gift still a secret. Wirr plans to amend the Tenets when he takes the throne. His bloodline is connected to the Vessel that created the Tenets, and only the line of Tel’Andras can alter them with the oath of a Gifted. The connection can only be used once: when Elocien passes it to Wirr after his death. Wirr repeats Karaliene’s warning to be cautious of Taeris, who, according to witnesses at his trial, delighted in torturing and killing Davian’s attackers. He then informs Davian of the attack on their school.

Elocien reveals himself to be an ally of the Gifted, and Asha is shocked to learn that Wirr is his son and that both Wirr and Davian are alive. Elocien suspects a member of the Athian Council or an eavesdropper discovered Wirr’s whereabouts and wished to destroy him. Being both Gifted and of royal blood, Wirr alone can change the Tenets; this makes him a threat to the status quo. Elocien confides that he is making up for his past prejudices and introduces her to three young Augurs masquerading as servants: Kol, Fessi, and Erran. Erran, who is kind and friendly, demonstrates his power by touching Asha’s forehead. He shows her Elocien’s memory from a month ago, when he discovered his staff murdered and found a note left by the Shadraehin that read “Stop.” Now, Elocien asks Asha to renounce the Shadraehin and declare loyalty to them, and Asha agrees. Kol doesn’t trust Asha and storms out, while Fessi, a girl Asha’s age, tells Erran not to read Asha’s mind until she learns how to shield herself.

Asha agrees to a vow of secrecy, as not even the King knows of Elocien’s plans. Elocien has been secretly using the Augurs to counsel him on court matters, not for personal gain. Because Asha is ignored as a Shadow, he can meet with her frequently without arousing suspicion. Asha will work as a Scribe, reading Augurs’ visions and confirming their validity by matching them with other Augur accounts and recording them in the Journal. Erran vouches for Asha’s integrity, especially her faithful protection of Davian’s secret as an Augur. He instructs her to use a Lockroom for confidential conversations and shows her the Journal where a vision of a future attack on Ilin Illan was confirmed by four different Augurs’ accounts.

In the morning, Wirr tells Davian of Taeris’s suspicious behavior of holding a knife against his own scarred face in the middle of the night. Davian mourns the death of Asha and everyone at his school. The boys set out on the road with Taeris and Caeden and are surprised to see that the protectors Karaliene sends are Aelric Shainwiere, the cocky young swordsman from the stadium, and his sister, Dezia. Aelric had gotten drunk the night before and admitted to throwing the fight for diplomacy’s sake. They mount horses and head for Deilannis, an ancient city believed to be cursed. Taeris believes this route will keep the sha’teth at bay, and Caeden intuitively agrees.

Caeden asks Davian if he thinks Caeden is guilty of murder. Davian no longer trusts his instincts but says that whatever Caeden did in the past, he is choosing to be a good person now. At nightfall, the priest Nihim finds them at their campsite and has a private conversation with Taeris. Davian eavesdrops and hears Nihim describe his life posing as a Desraelite priest as worthwhile. Nihim then says he has played his part and asks Taeris not to mourn him. Taeris fears Caeden may be dangerous but cannot abandon the boys. He hopes he can return to Tol Athian with proof of the failing Boundary and clear his name. Taeris tells his old friend that the time has finally come.

At the campsite, Dezia reveals to Wirr that she knows his real identity. When the two attempt to go somewhere to talk privately, Aelric threatens Wirr with his sword. To their surprise, Caeden intervenes and casually challenges Aelric to a duel, easily defeating him. Davian returns to the campsite just as Taeris and Nihim rush to warn them of an approaching sha’teth. The sha’teth speaks a different language and mentions the name Tal’kamar. It then calls Taeris by his name and demands that they surrender Caeden. When they refuse, the sha’teth quietly disappears. Nihim wonders if it was afraid.

Later that night, Nihim assures Caeden that all people have a dark side; the good are tempted to do wrong but can resist. When Nihim praises El, the god of the Augurs and predestination, Caeden asks if free will exists. Nihim considers his choices to be his own, even if El knows them. At the same time, he doesn’t believe that he is independent of El, and he defines faith as a belief in something that cannot be proven. Nihim encourages Caeden to consider what he believes in and so discover who he is.