Four years ago, the Son of Man returned to Earth, seemingly to begin a new age of enlightenment. But two years later, he vanished without a trace ... Today, nineteen-year-old Kane Bailey--a nobleman and sorcerer's apprentice--works and studies in his master's tower in the middle of his nation's capital. In spite of making a few mistakes (such as nearly blowing up a spellchamber), he shows the potential of being a great magician. But his dreams of working with magic come to a sudden end when he gets in the middle of a plot to assassinate the King. Upon getting captured by the assassin, Kane starts tumbling down a road fraught with lofty ambitions, terrible greed, and maddening bloodlust. Cut off from his magic talents, he'll need to rely on his wits and knowledge to survive, as well as the trust and friendship of a young woman who may be taking on more than she can handle. And a question lingers: What are the "e;Three Roses,"e; and what do they have to do with the impending war?