Silent Gods

The Academy of Chaenbalu has stood against magic for centuries. Hidden from the world, acting from the shadows, it trains its students to detect and retrieve magic artifacts, which it jealously guards from the misuse of others. Because magic is dangerous: something that heals can also harm, and a power that aids one person may destroy another. Of the academy's many students, only the most skilled can become Avatars-warrior thieves, capable of infiltrating the most heavily guarded vaults-and only the most determined can be trusted to resist the lure of magic. More than anything, Annev de Breth wants to become one of them.

Annev and his friends have survived the destruction of Chaenbalu, but greater threats await them in the capital city of Luqura. As Annev navigates the city's perilous streets, he must also evade those who seek to possess and destroy him while seeking answers to the questions that continue to haunt him: Who orchestrated the attack on his village ... and why? Who is Reeve, and why did Sodar want Annev to find him? Can Annev trust him? Most importantly, can Annev learn to control his nascent magic, and will he find a way to remove the cursed artifact now fused to his body? If so, what will it ultimately cost him?