From the moment she was banished by her father, the king, Princess Maia journeyed to get sanctuary at Muirwood Abbey, the epicenter of magic and good in the property. Now safe for the first time since her cruel abandonment, Maia must foster uneasy friendships with additional girls training to be Ciphers: females who figure out how to browse and engrave tomes of ancient power, despite the laws and regulations forbidding them to take action.

As Maia attempts to guage whom to trust, she makes a shocking finding: her destiny is to open up the Apse Veil and release trapped spirits from her world. Then she learns that her dad is coming to Muirwood Abbey to celebrate the Whitsunday festival-and Maia’s estranged hubby, whom she was pressured to forego, will join him. Torn between lethal political machinations and unstoppable spiritual causes, Maia must channel unknown power within herself to save lots of her friends, the abbey, and the entire kingdom of Muirwood.