Xan thwarted Dastanar's plans to conquer Asherton, but his efforts cost him his friends and an alliance with the duke. He's left hungry and alone and with an arrow sticking from his shoulder, not to mention that every soldier and noble in the three kingdoms wants him dead.Definitely not worth it.He forsakes magic and hides among a group of refugees. They face bandits and both abandonment and outright betrayal by authorities sworn to serve the public. As each encounter leaves the group worse off, winter approaches, bringing the threat of starvation.To save his new friends, Xan must become more than an apothecary and more than a mage. He must become the wizard his people need to lead them to safety.

A wizard who can negotiate with monarchs on an equal footing. A wizard who can fight Dastanar.He must become . the Gryphon.