Detan Honding, a wanted conman of noble birth and ignoble tongue, has found

himself in the oasis city of Aransa. He and his trusted companion Tibs may

have pulled off one too many cons against the city’s elite and need to make a

quick escape. They set their sights on their biggest heist yet—the gorgeous

airship of the exiled commodore Thratia.

But in the middle of his scheme, a face changer known as a doppel starts

murdering key members of Aransa’s government. The sudden paranoia makes

Detan’s plans of stealing Thratia’s ship that much harder. And with this

sudden power vacuum, Thratia can solidify her power and wreak havoc against

the Empire. But the doppel isn’t working for Thratia and has her own

intentions. Did Detan accidentally walk into a revolution and a crusade? He

has to be careful—there’s a reason most people think he’s dead. And if his

dangerous secret gets revealed, he has a lot more to worry about than a stolen

airship.

As the city that produces the most selium - that precious gas that elevates

airships and powers strange magic - Hond Steading is a jewel worth stealing.

To shore up the city’s defenses, Detan promises his aunt that he’ll recover

Nouli, the infamous engineer who built the century gates that protect the

imperial capital of Valathea. But Nouli is imprisoned on the Remnant Isles, an

impervious island prison run by the empire, and it’s Detan’s fault.

Detan doesn’t dare approach Nouli himself, so his companions volunteer to get

themselves locked up to make contact with Nouli and convince him to help. Now

Detan has to break them all out of prison, and he’s going to need the help of

a half-mad doppel to do it.

After Detan retrieves the renowned engineer Nouli from the clutches of the

empire, he returns his aunt’s city to find it under siege by Thratia’s army.

With Nouli’s help, they turn back the tide - until imperial forces show up,

prepared to hammer Thratia’s army against the anvil of the city’s walls. Worse

yet, the imperial advance is aided by an elite force of deviant magic users.

His aunt is forced to forge an uneasy alliance with Thratia to keep the city

from falling back under imperial control - but Detan’s wary. While Thratia and

his aunt bring their forces to bear against the imperial threat, Detan puts

his own plans into motion, scheming to ensure that when the final blow is

dealt, Thratia and her army find themselves on the other side of the city’s

walls.