Swordsman Aric and his half-fairy partner Emrys need to lie low for a while. They've been attracting attention, and not just from very human kings and merchants -- Em's powerful fairy-lord father is looking for his lost heir. So Aric and Em have taken some time off from heroic adventures to visit Aric's brother Berd, an architect who's helping build the brand-new king's city of Ambrosium. But the construction seems cursed. Collapsing walls, accidents, spoiled provisions -- there's dark magic at work. And Aric and Emrys find themselves drawn into a tangle of family, politics, and hidden ancient hexes.