Only surviving the massacre at his remote border village due to the awakening of his magic, the apprentice must to find the father he had never met. Although this father, The Count, proves to be the most powerful adept in the country, and its effective ruler, he finds himself back at the bottom of the heap as an apprentice, being manipulated by the ruler who sees him as only one of all too many bastards. He is challenged to survive not only because The Count puts him under enormous pressure to learn his craft and how to hide it, but also to work out his end game. Amidst horrendous wars and great change, can he learn enough to protect those he comes to love, and can he manage to fit into his father's plans, or will he be the apprentice who fails to make the transition to master ?
