Roger Mortimer was once the King’s most able commander, but now he is his most hated enemy. Escaping from the Tower, Mortimer made his way to France and has hired an assassin to murder the King – but others have the same idea. As the body of a local craftsman and that of a King’s messenger who was carrying a dangerous secret are found in the city’s streets, Sir Baldwin de Furnshill and his friend, Bailiff Simon Puttock, are asked by the Bishop to find out who is responsible. But when murderers can use magic, no one is safe...