The Fragile Threads of Power

In Red London, Tesali makes a living repairing magical objects. She runs a shop called Haskin’s, where she pretends to be an apprentice because she is only 15. There is no real Haskin, though she occasionally hires an older man to appear in the shop and pretend to be him. Tes has a rare gift for seeing the threads of magic that run through things and being able to manipulate those threads. This helps her repair almost anything but also places her in danger because of the talent’s rarity. She is lonely and spends her days working in the shop and talking to Vares, an owl skeleton that she has animated so that he appears alive.

A nameless merchant’s son sits in a seedy bar, waiting for a contact to meet him. He has recently joined a secret organization called the Hand, which seeks to overthrow the government. He is enamored with old stories of heroes and brave deeds and thinks of himself as the hero in this tale. The merchant’s son was introduced to the Hand through a beautiful woman he met. She wore the insignia as a brand on her body and explained to him that the Hand would bring change to the kingdom.

A rough-looking older man arrives at the bar and pretends to know the merchant’s son. The merchant’s son follows the newcomer and another man onto a small boat. The older man tells him they shouldn’t use names, and they set sail. With growing unease, the merchant’s son realizes that he does not know what the mission is.

Alucard Emery, the king’s consort and a powerful magician, enters a brothel or pleasure garden known as the Silken Thread. Several people recognize him and erroneously assume he is there because he is unfaithful to the king. However, he regularly meets the owner, Ciara, to stay informed of city gossip. She tells Alucard that she knows little about the Hand and claims to be surprised that the palace considers them a threat.

Alucard heads back to the palace, passing his ancestral estate on the way. It holds only bad memories for him now, reminding him of his abusive childhood and his dead parents. His younger sister died during the war with Osaron, and he bears silver scars along his veins from his own battle against the poison. The only other living Emery is his brother, Berras, a traitor who has vanished entirely. Though Alucard is saddened by his past, he recalls Rhy Maresh, the king, telling him that he loves his scars because they are a reminder that he survived. He returns to the palace where the people who love him, including Rhy, live.

After Alucard leaves, Ciara makes her way to a different room in the pleasure garden. There, a masked man awaits her. He is the Master of the Veil, another sex work establishment. The Veil has a rotating cast of sex workers and meets in a different place every month. It is very exclusive, and entry is only available by invitation. It is also, unbeknownst to most people, where the Hand meets.

Ciara tells the man that Alucard is asking about the Hand and hints that she will need a bribe if she is to continue keeping his secret. The Master agrees and leaves, subtly threatening her as he does so. She waits in the room until she is sure he has left before rejoining the party.

The merchant’s son is horrified to discover that they are going to rob the Ferase Stras, a legendary ship that houses a market where the empire’s most dangerous magic goods are bought and sold. No one has ever robbed the ship and lived to tell the tale, but his companions are insistent it can be done. The merchant’s son is nervous but consoles himself by imagining that he is a hero in one of the books he has read.

A member of the Hand has drugged the ship’s usual wine delivery, so when they enter the Ferase Stras, the captain, Maris Patrol, is nowhere to be seen. Her nephews Katros and Valick are noticeably ill and disoriented. The three men steal a small box, and a fight ensues, resulting in the death of the two companions and Valick being gravely wounded. The merchant’s son escapes to his own ship with the mysterious box, elated that he has survived.

Maris awakens, realizing she has been drugged. She hears shouting and rushes onto the deck to see her nephew Valick dying and the merchant’s son escaping. Katros brings her one of the invaders who is still living, and she uses forbidden magic to give his life force to Valick and reanimate her nephew.

Maris uses a magic card to see what the men took. She recognizes the object—it is a persalis, a box that creates doorways people can travel through to other locations. The identity of the box is not yet revealed to the reader. She also recognizes the brand on the side of the man as a symbol of the Hand. She tells her nephew that they have a favor to call in.

Delilah “Lila” Bard is the captain of the ship The Grey Barron. She reflects on the journey that led her here, from her desperate childhood pickpocketing in Grey London to her place on the ship where she finally has the power and freedom she desires. In Red London, she is recognized as an Antari, the most powerful kind of magician who can traverse different worlds.

At Alucard’s request, the Barron and its crew are journeying to Verose, a lawless and empire-less city. They hope to gather information about Faro and Vesk, countries that seek to start a war with the Maresh Empire.

In the ship’s hold, a mysterious assailant catches Lila off guard, and a duel ensues. The assailant turns out to be her lover and partner, Kell Maresh, and the duel turns playful. Lila reflects on her joy at their life together and how happy they are with their life on the sea.

Seven years earlier, Lila and Kell are sailing the Barron as far south as they can. It is only a few months after the defeat of Osaron, and Kell is struggling with the loss of his magical abilities, a side effect of their victory. Accessing magic now causes him incredible pain, and he feels useless and lost without his Antari powers. Suddenly, their ship hits ice. A man appears on the ice and explains that they are in a port and that the ice serves as a dock. He invites them to a local festival, the lightless fair, and Lila and Kell agree to accompany him.

In the present, the Barron docks at Verose, and Kell surveys the crew. Stross is the stocky first mate, and Tav is a young and scrappy sailor. Vasry is a handsome wind worker, and his wife, Raya, is a water worker and cook.

Kell and Lila plan to secretly board a Veskan ship called The Crow and see what it is smuggling, at Alucard’s behest. Kell readily agreed to the plan, wanting to prove that he is still useful despite losing his magic.

Seven years earlier, Kell and Lila explore the lightless fair. It is an open-air market with dazzling displays of art and craft, many of them featuring ice. A merchant entices Kell to play a magic game that involves moving a piece in an ice palace. Kell fails due to the pain and shatters the entire icehouse.

A month later, he lies in the ship’s hold after hours of attempting to reach his magic. He is in agony and feels like dying because of the pain. Lila comes to see him. Instead of offering him words of comfort, she tells him the story of a sword master she knew who had his sword hand cut off by his enemies. He relearned to fight with his other hand and took vengeance on them. Her story reminds Kell that he is more than his magic and that he will need to learn to train and think differently to survive.

In the present, the crew leaves the Barron and, pretending to be drunk, ambles towards the other ship.

Over a montage of four years, Kell trains with Lila and learns to fight without his magic. Though he often forgets he is powerless, he eventually learns to fight without magic. He and Lila devise a mask and disguise for him so that other people don’t recognize him as Kell Maresh, prince and Antari. Instead, in disguise, he becomes “Kay.”

The crew quickly overpowers the lone guard on The Crow and searches the hold, finding delicate paper lanterns covered in spells. The search is interrupted by the returning crew, and a fight breaks out. Kell finds himself cornered. Facing death, he uses magic to kill his opponent. It results in terrible pain.

Lila uses her magic to sink the ship and decides to go into Verose for a drink. She tells Kell he isn’t invited because she understands that he wants to go back to the ship and be alone.

On board the ship, Kell sews his wound up and goes over the fight in his mind. He silently apologizes to his brother, Rhy, who is magically linked to him and will feel the pain as well. He thinks about his rings, which are tokens allowing him to contact Rhy and Lila. Lila refuses to wear hers, but he never takes his off.

In a dirty tavern, Lila listens to the gossip around her. A woman named Tanis sits with her, and they chat. Lila recognizes the hints Tanis drops as a sign that she is with the Hand and responds favorably to draw her out. Tanis tells her that the Hand is not present in Verose, but that the gardens in London are lovely this time of year.

Lila realizes that she is drawing too much attention and tries to leave but is accosted by a would-be thief. She stabs and kills him. She is interrupted by Valick, who tells her that Maris is calling in a favor. Lila agrees to see Maris but says she will do it her way and uses magic to transport them onto the ship.

On the Ferase Stras, Maris scolds Lila for using magic. She and Lila banter and exchange some news, and Maris admits that she has nothing on board that could help Kell mend his magic. She tells Lila that thieves have stolen the persalis. Lila agrees to look for it. Back on board, she tells Kell what transpired, and they agree to journey back to London and help the king.