The yearly attendance with Queen Brilliance of Rise is upcoming, and wouldn't you know it, Fiona is dreading it. All human page turners assembled together in one place is not for the faint of heart. Between the tangled politics of home and facing her overbearing mother, she counts herself lucky it's only for a few days. But this year, the Queen presses Fiona with an unexpected request-find the mythical Guardian of Restless Rise.

Can she discern true intentions amid obscured agendas? Is the Queen's desire sincere or does she, or the enigmatic Painted Edge, seek control over the Guardian's power?

Fiona soon finds herself joined by a sharp-tongued gentleman whose verbal sparring belies an undercurrent of something more. Can he be trusted or is he another hidden player? Amid schemes and betrayals, Fiona must piece together palace intrigues and myths to discover if the Guardian truly exists.