No longer Simta's best-kept secret, the Nightbirds have transformed into something far more powerful: Fyrebirds. Together, they can perform feats of magic no one has seen in centuries, but fate seems intent on keeping them apart. Ensconced within the palace at the handsome new suzerain's side, Matilde uses charm to try to convince him and the Simtan Table that girls like her are not a danger. It's a task made more difficult by Sayer, who seeks vigilante justice, lying in wait within the city's shadows to terrorise lords and paters who would see girls with magic caged again. But for each girl Sayer saves, another goes missing. And now a terrifying drug has emerged that can rob a magical girl of her free will. No one is safe. No Æsa who has fled Simta to outrun her guilt, nor Fen, intent on denying her magic and hiding from those she holds most dear. As the fate of all girls with magic hangs on a sword's edge, the Fyrebirds must find their way back to one another. But will they overcome their differences and fight for each other? If they do, are they prepared to pay the ultimate price?