Answers to who killed her family. A trial to death. Is the truth worth the risk? Master Mage Rielle is counting the months to her wedding when an unexpected invitation arrives from Magehold--to compete for magister. The magister's mantle has been her dream for over a decade, but rumors accuse Magehold of shadowy deeds, among them killing families to collect promising young novices. Piracy has been rampant along the Emaurrian coast, and Jon has his hands full with Immortals attacking, his forces spread too thin to handle it all. When Magehold announces that the winner of the Magister Trials will be granted one boon, Rielle is determined to ask for an end to the piracy that threatens so many others and harmed her own family... and to investigate whether Magehold was responsible. But when she arrives, she learns that the trials have only one rule: survive. Magehold could easily stamp out the piracy claiming countless lives, and if she wins the trials, Rielle could see it done. But with the other mages competing to kill, strangers hunting her in the shadows, and mysterious factions working behind the scenes, trying to win the test could mean the end of her life. Will the trials give her the answers she seeks and the aid Emaurria sorely needs, or will they be her end? Enter Blade and Rose, and dive into a medieval world sensual and dark, full of magic and greed, love and blades, where factions vie for influence and there are no easy choices...