Magic has made the city of Tiran an industrial utopia, but magic has a cost—and the collectors have come calling. An orphan since the age of four, Sciona has always had more to prove than her fellow students. For twenty years, she has devoted every waking moment to the study of magic, fueled by a mad desire to achieve the impossible: to be the first woman ever admitted to the High Magistry. When she finally claws her way up the ranks to become a highmage, however, she finds that her challenges have just begun. Her new colleagues will stop at nothing to let her know she is unwelcome, beginning with giving her a janitor instead of a qualified lab assistant. What neither Sciona nor her peers realize is that her taciturn assistant was once more than a janitor; before he mopped floors for the mages, Thomil was a nomadic hunter from beyond Tiran’s magical barrier. Ten years have passed since he survived the perilous crossing that killed his family. But working for a highmage, he sees the opportunity to finally understand the forces that decimated his tribe, drove him from his homeland, and keep the Tiranish in power. Through their fractious relationship, mage and outsider uncover an ancient secret that could change the course of magic forever—if it doesn’t get them killed first. Sciona has defined her life by the pursuit of truth, but how much is one truth worth with the fate of civilization in the balance? A standalone dark academia brimming with mystery, tragedy, and the damning echoes of the past. For fans of Leigh Bardugo, V. E. Schwab, and Fullmetal Alchemist. (Content warnings for gore, sexual assault, and suicidal ideation)

The day I rode to the Rift with my brother the king, I never expected him to deliver me into the hands of our enemies. Desperate to stop the Deepnight from covering his kingdom in shadow, he’s pledged me as a blood slave to King Laurent, ruler of the vampire kingdom of Nor Doru. It’s a humiliation I never imagined I would bear. A betrayal I’m not sure I can forgive. Unfortunately, my wishes don’t factor into the decisions of kings. Raised a princess, I know my duty. For as long as I’m bound in service, I’m at Laurent’s mercy. Survival means giving him my vein and my body. And when his cruel and arrogant general Varick demands the same, I must obey. But all is not as it seems in the vampire court. King Laurent has secrets, not the least of which is how much he enjoys his general’s company. Almost from the moment I enter the twilight world of the Deepnight, I learn my journey across the Rift was so much more than a barter. And it’s not just Laurent and Varick I need to be wary of. There are rumors of darkness stirring—of long-forgotten danger rising in the old elven lands. There’s something stirring in me, too. I’m hearing things I shouldn’t, and doing things no one should be able to do. The king takes me and I take his vein—and each time it gets harder to keep my new abilities a secret. Torn between two kingdoms and two men, I’m surrounded by danger on all sides. My body has become a battleground, and I’m determined not to let the enemy win. But the more time I spend in the vampire court, the harder it is to resist the pleasure of being conquered.