When a star-smith saves a volatile ingot from the river's edge, Ariadne Flint earns more than a ledger entry—she earns a partner. Lucian Orion, a fallen knight who broke his own blade rather than obey a tyrant, needs a maker who won't bow. Bound by a chain of their own design—ask / answer / affirm—they enter the celestial Accord, where champions and smiths shape law as surely as steel.
Zenith's Regent, Severin Vale, gilds harm with spectacle, and illusionist Vesper Lux is his brightest lie—until Ariadne and Lucian offer her a different stage. From mirrored halls and poison trials to rooftop flights and river forges, the pair refuse gifts with knives inside, rescue the voiceless, and pay honest costs: memory, pride, sleep.
As the city tips toward courage, a blade forged for two pulses sings awake. To win, they won't chase glory—they'll rebuild the calendar that governs every life in Zenith.