Placed into the service of Lady Mediera, Sister Anais settles into her new life. The war in the south continues to brew, but Anais is distracted by the social intricacies of court life. She helps Mediera through the birth of her first child and must protect them both against a mysterious threat. With a new power source at her disposal, Anais finds herself more than capable of battling even her most sophisticated of foes. The fourth book of the blood mage chronicles continues Anais's saga, following Anais of Gable's House.