The Alchemists inspired terror, and becoming one was the last thing he wanted. There is turmoil in the dark city of Clawfort, where the weakened Crown of the Von Meiers, the Moonthorne Alchemists, and the Guild of Thieves are conspiring to determine who will be in control. Kilian Morgenstern, the third child of a wealthy family in the city, resigned himself to the idea of merely running the family law office when the terrible news of his father’s accidental death shakes his family from across the ocean. While his siblings inherit the Morgensterns’ fortune, Kilian is burdened with fulfilling his father’s dying wish. He must enroll in the mysterious Moonthorne Academy to study Alchemy, trapped behind its inescapable walls with the ultimate goal of finding a cure for Death. Driven by horrifying visions of unspeakable horrors that threaten his loved ones, Kilian finds an unlikely ally in Nikolas Vesa, a dangerous criminal and Guild member from his past. With his demon-yellow eyes and his bad reputation, Nikolas harbors deep-seated hatred towards the Alchemists, but the Morgensterns, too. And he is eager to fight fire with fire for what they did to him.