The secrets of the arcane have long been lost to the people of New Pharos. Gone are the days of simply casting—the few pieces of magic that exist must be taught, invoked with the inscription of exact sigils. This system serves the ruling elite of the city perfectly, ensuring that no one that isn’t vetted, approved, and registered can wield any sort of magical ability. Except, of course, those rare few who are born different. People able to call on specific powers with a thought. They are illegal, they are tracked, and they are processed—a “humane” process that leaves them immune to any unpleasant accidents. Officially, they are known as sorcerers. To most, they are called hexblood.  Aurelius Spark and Tetrakoshka Panikia-Tria (Tetra to her friends) are “contractors"—independent problem solvers for the dozens of guilds and gangs of the techno-arcanic city of New Pharos. Aurelius has spent his entire life disadvantaged and forgotten, born with a rare defect that grants him the appearance of a hexblood with none of the powers. He has given up on living—he will settle for surviving. And that means staying out of trouble.  Tetra attracts trouble like a magnet. Trouble that the two of them have always been able to handle. But when the shipment they are sent to retrieve turns out to be an enslaved hexblood named Hester, Aurelius and Tetra are faced with an impossible choice: condemn Hester to a life in a lab, or try to save her from a city that hates and fears her. Their choice ignites a long dormant web of conspiracy and corruption that will consume everything: Their allies, the city, and, most likely, themselves.