Certainty Bulrush just wants to be useful. To the Guild of Mages that took her in as a novice six years ago, to the little brother whose future depends on her, and to anyone else she can help along the way. Unfortunately, her tepid magical abilities (she can commune with objects) haven't yet proven of much use.
So when she's given the chance to finally earn her magehood via a seemingly straightforward assignment, she leaps at it. (Nevermind that she'll be supervised by Mage Aurelia, the brilliant, unfairly attractive overachiever who's managed to alienate everyone around her.)
The two are tasked with transporting a cache of minorly magical artifacts to somewhere safe: Shpelling, the dullest and least magical village in the kingdom. There, all they have to do is store the objects, complete their inventory, and, above all else: avoid complications. The Guild's uneasy relationship with citizens is at a tipping point, and the last thing anyone needs is a magical incident.
Still, as the mage and novice come to know Shpelling's residents - and each other - they find that the Guild's hoarded magic might do more good being used than collecting dust. Unexpected friendships blossom as artifact by artifact, the pair works to restore Shpelling to the haven it could be. But what they don't know is that among the self-playing lutes and enchanted butter churns lies a sleeping weapon, crafted for a dark and singular purpose.
And each time Certainty and Aurelia use a magical object, they might be helping their new neighbors-but they're also rousing the ancient power that might destroy them all.
