Frostilicus Shatterblade is a hunted man. As one of the Frostmarked, he's subject to immediate execution upon capture. But rather than throw his life away in a solitary attack, he takes his father's counsel and travels to the Northern Reach. There he hopes to master his abilities under the tutelage of the legendary frost mages. Yet as he arrives, after many months of travel, Frostilicus finds that not all is as he expected it to be.