On a mission to pay the ransom of a new ally, apprentice Will and his friends find themselves in a desert wasteland awash with enemies.

Charged by Araluen's King Duncan to covertly rescue the Prince of Gallica from a politically ambitious baron, Will Treaty and his apprentice Maddie take to the road disguised as father and daughter jongleurs.

Maddie teams up with Hal, Thorn, and the rest of the Heron brotherband to rescue King Duncan and Princess Cassandra, who are trapped in the Castle Araluen, which is under attack by the Red Fox Clan.

When Fletcher, a blacksmith's apprentice, learns he can summon demons, he travels with his demon to an academy for adepts where he is to train as a Battlemage in the Empire's war against the orcs, but he discovers that all is not as it seems.

Wolf Boy is sent on a Task by Aunt Zelda, while Septimus and the dragon, Spit Fyre, fly off to bring their friends home, but they all wind up on an island whose secrets are as dangerous as its inhabitants.

"The Herons are home in Skandia, but the usually peaceful country is in danger. The Temujai--ruthless warriors from the Eastern Steppes--have never given up on their ambition to claim Skandia for their own...and now they're on the move. Hal and his crew will have to brave the treacherous icy river and rapids to stop them, no matter the cost"--

Septimus must battle the remnants of the Dark Domaine, which will remain until the power of the evil Two-Faced Ring is destroyed forever. To accomplish that, the ancient Alchemie Fyre must be relit, a task that sends Septimus to the very origins of Magyk and Physik.

"When Maddie and Will get a message that dire wolves--huge misshapen changelings, much larger than regular wolves--have been marauding and attacking through the hills and valleys of Celtica, the Rangers are sent on a mission to unravel just who or what is behind these dangerous creatures. Will isn't anxious to return to Celtica, especially approaching the Rift. And as they travel, Maddie must grapple with their growing dealings with the spiritual...

Seeking revenge against the wily crook who betrayed him, Jem Barbary becomes an apprentice to Alfred the bogler before becoming embroiled in an underground war in a city where orphans have been disappearing.