When Mags (Magpie), a thirteen-year-old orphan chosen by one of the magical Companion horses of Valdemar and taken to the capital city, she is "recognized" by foreign secret operatives whose purpose is unknown, and then comes under suspicion.

The orphan Magpie pursues his quest for his parents' identity with burning urgency--while also discovering another hidden talent and being trained as an undercover agent. Meanwhile, shy bardic trainee Lena has to face her famous but uncaring father and healing trainee Bear must struggle against his disapproving parents.

When world governments are simultaneously attacked by soldiers in giant mecha robotic suits with the swastika symbol of the Third Reich on their metal arms, the metahuman superheroes that worked for so long to protect their governments suddenly seem helpless. If these were Nazis, where had they been hiding since the end of World War II? And where had they gotten armor and weapons far in advance of anything on the planet?

Life at the Heralds' Collegium in Haven has definitely improved for Mags. He's even become something of a hero since risking his own life to rescue Amily—daughter of Nikolas, the King's Own Herald—from Karsite kidnappers. But Mags still doesn't know who his parents were, and Bear, Mags' Trainee friend, was not one to let him forget: "You gotta deal with your past Mags, you have to. If you don't, it'll just keep coming back to haunt you, and...

Mags travels to the Bastion in search of who his parents were and a possible explanation about why he is being pursued by Valdemar's enemies in the fifth and final volume of the series following Redoubt. Mags returns to the Collegium, but there are mixed feelings--his included--about him actually remaining there. No one doubts that he is and should be a Herald, but he is afraid that his mere presence is going to incite more danger right in the heart...

Mags travels to the Bastion in search of who his parents were and a possible explanation about why he is being pursued by Valdemar's enemies in the fifth and final volume of the series following Redoubt.

"From New York Times best-seller and science fiction and fantasy mistress of adventure Mercedes Lackey, Book #3 in a new pulse-pounding saga of modern-day humans with superpowers. The metaheroes deal with supervillain Verdegris, who seeks to destroy them from within, before turning their attention back to the Thulian conspiracy. It's go time once again for the meta-heroes including fire-bender John Murdock, hacker-witch Vikki Nagy, healer Belladona...