The Volsung Academy is under siege.

Its legendary founder, Arian—Sorcerer-Ascendant of Magekind—has vanished. Rival schools are circling, sensing weakness, eager to seize control and reshape the future of magic in their image.

And Volsung's new philosophy, the Path of Balance, is dismissed as exactly the kind of softness that invites predators.

When Vivienne Desai is unexpectedly chosen to represent Volsung at the Mage Games on Mars, the stakes couldn't be higher. Held once every four years, the Games are where academies put their best students forward in a bid for honor, prestige, and the coveted Manifold Crown—while behind the scenes, the real tournament is already underway.

Every academy head wants to shape the future of magic. And each one sees something different when they look at her.

A weapon. A prodigy. A tool. A threat.

The Path of Balance teaches restraint. But when the Games demand everything, restraint may be the first thing to break.