The halls are dark. The magic is deadly. Trust no one.

Iona hoped escaping the murderous warlock who tried to sacrifice her would be the end of her nightmare. Instead, it's only the beginning.

Desperate for safety and a future, Iona claws her way into Coterie of Mages-a prestigious, cutthroat magical university hidden within the Obelisk of the City of Sorcery. But for a backwater girl without family connections, survival is far from guaranteed. The students are cruel, the professors indifferent, and the building itself whispers secrets in the dark. When her classmates' "pranks" turn lethal, Iona learns that the real trial has just begun.

As enemies close in, Iona forms a tenuous alliance with Zuri, a sharp-edged prodigy with secrets of her own, and a kind-hearted newcomer who still believes in friendship. But when the warlock Fenris tracks her down, the stakes rise beyond grades and status-because now he's made a deal with one of her classmates.

Betrayal, magic, and ancient horrors collide as Iona and her unlikely crew fight to survive the Obelisk's deadly levels, navigate backstabbing politics, and face the terrifying being that's been hiding inside Fenris all along.