Alka Chelrazi is on a mission: 1. Infiltrate Blackwater Academy 2. Win the Great Game 3. Burn Wizard society to the ground As a child, Alka witnessed her parents' brutal murder at the hands of Wizards before she was taken in by an underground rebel group. Now, Alka is deep undercover at the most prestigious school of magic in the Republic: Blackwater Academy, a place where status is everything, where decadent galas end in blood-splattered duels, where every student has their own agenda. To survive, Alka will have to lie, cheat, kill, and use every trick in her spy's toolkit. And for the first time in her life, the fiercely independent Alka will have to make friends in order to recruit the misfits and the outcasts into her motley rebellion. But even as she draws closer to victory-to vengeance-she sinks deeper into danger as suspicious professors and murderous rivals seek the traitor in their midst, as dark revelations unravel her resolve. Can Alka destroy the twisted game...without becoming a part of it?

Tilla's father loved her as a child, but cast her aside when he had trueborn children. She spends her days exploring long-forgotten tunnels under the castle and nights drinking with the servants. Tilla longs to sit by her father's side, instead she sits with the other bastards. Then, at a feast honoring a visiting princess, the royal shocks everyone by choosing to sit at the Bastards' Table. Before she knows it, Tilla is leading the princess on a late-night escapade. But rebellion is brewing - the bastards band together and flee, realizing only they have the power to prevent civil war.

Tilla, bastard of House Kent, is finally safe from her murderous father in the dazzling capital of Lightspire, she lives a life of luxury under the protection of the Volaris King. So why isn't she happy? Maybe it's the whispers and stares that follow her wherever she goes, as the daughter of the traitor waging war against Lightspire. Or maybe it's the memories of her beloved brother, Jax, who lies cold in his grave even as she tries to settle into a life in the city's prestigious University. Then, Tilla stumbles upon the body of a classmate - a friend. The authorities are quick to rule it a suicide and sweep it under the rug, but when Tilla herself is attacked by a mysterious man with terrifying powers, she's convinced of a conspiracy. Her friends beg her to stay silent; what she's suggesting is impossible... and treasonous. But Tilla can't-won't-let it go. And the deeper she digs, the more questions she uncovers. How is the West beating the supposedly invincible Lightspire mages in battle? Is it connected to the shadowy cult wreaking havoc in Lightspire? Nothing is as it seems in the glorious capital, and Tilla's presence might just be the spark that sets the Kingdom aflame.