Brash and impatient, sixteen-year-old Blaas Rakendo believes he has all the answers, or at least knows where to find them, even in a locked file at Council headquarters or a room hidden behind a temple nave. Armed with a collection of his grandfather's journals and notes and a handful of relics, Rake struggles to steer clear of interference from what he considers an attack on his independence by those in authority as he solves the puzzle of his inheritance. But powers beyond his understanding---or control-soon draw him deep into a labyrinth of political intrigue and dark secrets, and all thoughts of a summer spent digging for clues dissolve, especially when the Council Leader threatens detention, people disappear, and two students are found dead by uncertain means. Determined to escape the Leader's scrutiny, Rake must join forces-willingly or not-with a special team to safeguard cryptic artifacts and unravel the long- buried scandal they represent.