Told from the point of view of three magic users. This twisted power fantasy, tight without filler, commences with one wizard's search for an apprentice. As a clear path to succession unwinds, each of the main characters fears for their own safety. Even wizards die.
Pietra, a wizard nearing the end, seeks an apprentice to pass on all of his knowledge and possessions. Bren, a youthful healing magic user, survives in Ashton, a city destroyed generations ago by a powerful wizard. Florian, with royal blood, enjoys the pleasures of a wizard, with coin and a long life ahead. Desires of each conflict, dissolving the little trust between these three. To survive, the best course of action is to remove those who have what you want.
On the roads between towns, travelers fear three things - wolves, bandits, and wizards. They fear wizards most of all, and drink to their end, as they no longer exist except in song. To see a wizard, a real wizard, means death.
Death hovers over everyone. Every cycle, the Fall calls down all souls in the stars. During the Fall, people seek shelter within grand Temples under slate roofs. Without rock or dirt above, a person's soul is torn from their body. In the Temples, their souls are safe, while outside, the adulterer tied to a pillory or the wicked without a tithe for the Church, receive the just punishment of the Protector. The Fall brings harsh order to the world. A burden that wizards no longer fear.