They say magic died with the dragons. They were wrong. In the kingdom of Drakonia, where the clash of steel is the only music and the Spinebreaker Mountains cast long shadows, Liam Volgunder is a secret shame. Untalented with a blade, he lives a life of quiet desperation, until a hidden crypt and a forbidden power change everything. Now, marked by a stigma of ice, he is a pariah, a wielder of a forgotten art that his family – and his kingdom – distrusts. But Liam's awakening is only the first tremor of a coming earthquake. A brutal tournament reveals not only his hidden strength, but also a terrifying darkness festering within his rival. The theocratic Holy Kingdom intervenes, their motives shrouded in secrecy. And to the east, the barbaric Rubak raiders gather, led by a new chieftain who threatens to plunge Drakonia into a war it cannot win. Forced to join a desperate mission into the heart of enemy territory, Liam must confront his own demons – both literal and figurative. He must master a volatile magic, uncover the secrets of an ancient artifact called the Umbral Core, and learn to trust a mysterious bodyguard with a connection to his past. But with every step, he risks exposing a truth that could save his kingdom… or destroy it. The dragons may be gone, but their legacy lives on, and Liam Volgunder is about to discover that some secrets are best left buried.