When summoned to retake his throne to mend the frayed relations of his homeland, Vrye finds himself undone by his weakness for relations of a more scintillating nature. Ensnared by the exquisite nose of an Alchemist, he elopes on the back of a unicorn and puts the political balance in even greater peril. But his guilt travels with him, and he must find a way to sooth the fury of the Lady he was damned to wed, else the realm may never find peace.