The youth, Contikiraud, is a precocious five year old with a mind of his own. When the gods inspire Niobe, his mother and the governess of Yndarr, to send him into the grip of the Inquisition as a spy, he is allowed to believe it was his own idea. Once there, he finds himself in a nightmare world where the cruel demimage tortures adepts to sate his addiction. In the world beyond, a war brews that will cause gods, legends, and near mythical peoples clash with the Inquisition and the remnants of the Nobilis.