Surviving the massacre of his remote village and saved by the awakening of his magic, the Apprentice sets out to find the father he has never met. Soon he finds himself at the bottom of the heap manipulated by a ruler who sees him as only one of all too many bastards. The Challenge is to survive under enormous pressure and to learn his craft and how to conceal it.

Amidst a time of horrendous wars and great change, can he learn enough to protect those he has come to love, or will he remain the apprentice, destined to fail the transition to master ?