Tristan is the first female student to ever be trained at the University. The wizards just don't know it yet. Four years before the events of The Sword, Tristan enrolls at the University under a disguise. Her goal is to seek out weaknesses within the system and find a way to destroy the Sword. She soon discovers the wizards she's hated her whole life are not all the evil beings she expected. Her new roommate, Cole is particularly difficult to understand. Constantly hiding his emotions, she never knows if he is her biggest threat or greatest ally. When a recent graduate returns to the school with a plan to change the way wizards steal their magic, she must make a choice. Either trust the wizards who have become her friends, or destroy them all.