An Ancient Evil Waits for Him in an Abandoned Castle

Fed up with desk duty in the Imperial Arcane Library, rebellious young book hunter Colin Bliss accepts a private commission to find The Sword’s Shadow, a legendary witches’ grimoire. But to find the book, Colin must travel to the remote Western Isles and solve a centuries-old murder.

It shouldn’t be much more than an academic exercise, so why is the Societas Magicke trying so hard to interfere—even going so far as to send the austere and alarming Magister Septimus Marx to sabotage him?

As Colin digs deeper and deeper into the Long Island’s mysterious past, he begins to understand why Septimus is willing to stop him at any price—but by then, it’s too late to turn back.