Plot

It is one hundred years after Keladry of Mindelan first entered knight training in Corus. Since then hundreds of girls have sought admittance to become a knight. King Jonathan was a just and honest king of Tortall, and the realm prospered under his rule. The tournaments flourished, and Tortall was relatively peaceful.

Toward the end of Jonathan's reign, mages from the City of the Gods created large portals connecting the City of the Gods to Corus, as well as to Port Caynn and Port Legann. They also began to teach the spells enabling a mage to take small groups to anywhere in the kingdom. The mages of the City of Gods, once separated from court life, now are plainly integrated into life in Corus.

At this time, Tortall is relatively peaceful, although there has been a resurgence of pirate attacks on southern Tortall. King Reathan has been quietly investigating the attacks, but some of the realm are getting restless at the seeming lack of royal interest. Meanwhile, some spy reports indicate Scanra is restless and on the move to start trouble again. Knights are being sent out from Corus, but many have never faced real battle, only a tournament tilt. Many knights really want nothing more than to feast and enjoy the tournaments. The merchants are suffering at the loss of their goods, and fearing for future shipments, putting pressure on Reathan politically.

Meanwhile, in the City of the Gods, the Mage's Guild is embarking on a new era of cooperation, but many are still very distrustful of sharing their spells with others. Opinions on the matter are strong and resulting in long arguments. The use of portals has caused a great stir among the mages, and the ability to now travel great distances has opened possibilities mages have never considered in the past. As the ability to research and travel grows, so does the potential for a abundance of new spells. Can the mages learn to work together, or will the already fragile framework of the Mage's Guild be shredded by permanent division?

The Court of the Rogue is also facing a quandary, in that the pirates attacking the southern shores are not under their jurisdiction, and the spy network has yet to give solid information. Who is orchestrating theses attacks and why? Is it all just a political ploy by another country?