In a world that shuns magic, seventeen-year-old Prince Tarik hides a dangerous secret. Keeping his magical powers hidden is the only way to protect his Crown…and possibly even his life. But when an underground society of mages is accused of plotting a ruthless assassination, Tarik's buried power may be the key to uncovering the truth. But at what risk? Masked as a foreign mage named Shade, Tarik ventures into the underbelly of the city, into a treacherous realm of conspiracy and rebellion. Friendship is a strange word on the streets, and trust is stranger still, but he will need both to survive the city’s darkest currents. In an attempt to earn the confidence of the city’s outcast mages, he forges an unlikely alliance with Hayli, a streetwise shapeshifter who harbors her own painful secrets. As their connection grows stronger, powers awaken within them that they never imagined possible. But in a realm of deception and peril, can they truly rely on each other, or will the lies they tell destroy everything they’ve worked to achieve? In this gripping dark fantasy, the fragile line between sanity and madness blurs, and the price of survival becomes increasingly steep. With political intrigue, heart-pounding action, and a dash of madness, immerse yourself in a world where the only way to escape the darkness is to embrace the shadows.