Tensions rise at the Hive's black market auction as Myra and Phin are confronted with an old associate of Myra's, and Minx and Blaire grapple with temptations and vices. And they still have to find the Spirit Warden uniforms they've been hired to steal...

After learning more about the blood-iron ring,the Magpies discover they need to enter the Deathlands to claim it. There are people in the city willing to get them there, but nothing in Duskwall is free...

In between scores, the Magpies--along with the rest of Duskwall--are celebrating the holiday of Doskvorn. On a day without crimes or danger, the Magpies wander through Nightmarket's street festival and take a chance to reconnect. And play a *lot* of carnival games.

The Magpies, joined by their new friend Seeks, continue their exploration of Doctor Hagen's clinic, searching for valuables and medical supplies. Instead, they find the suffering at the heart of Hagen's experiments.

The Magpies are hired by a Tycherosi Leech named Seeks, who wants their assistance in stealing medical supplies to refill her stock. But the target they choose hides secrets that none of them could have imagined.

With some of their covers blown, the Magpies must scramble to salvage their embassy break-in, forcing them to take incredible risks... and pay great costs.

After some unexpected ghostly “friends” stop by to visit, the Magpies turn their attention to the mystery of the bloon-iron ring. Specifically, the name Myra found in her notes: Avrathi. Solving the mystery sends them to the halls of high society and diplomacy, but as always, problems seem to arise with astonishing speed after they get in the door.

A ghostly message sends the Magpies to the Dimmer Sisters, who want a favor repaid. There's a cargo ship being held in the bay, just inside the lightning barrier, pending Spirit Warden investigation. The Magpies need to recover a shipment of arcane artifacts before the Wardens claim it, but there are plenty of other people interested in the ship's cargo...

The Magpies begin to branch out their operations by formally recruiting the Gondoliers as an informant network. However, before the Gondoliers will agree to work with the Magpies, they need something in return: the removal of an alchemist who patrols the canals, seeking corpses and spirits for strange experiments.

As the Magpies learn more and more about the mysterious Umbra Hunters gang, they return to their allies in the Gondoliers and offer their help in unraveling the source of the attacks that have already killed two.