<p>Never look back!</p> <p>Conn has come a long way since the days when he was a thief and a wizard's apprentice. He and the dragon Pip have saved the city of Wellmet from doom more than once, and now his best friend, Duchess Rowan, wants to make him the ducal magister, the city's most important wizard. But the older wizards don't trust Conn . . . especially now that their locus magicalicus stones are disappearing! Once a thief, always a thief, they think.</p> <p>To solve the mystery of the disappearing stones, Conn goes back to his beginnings--gutterboy, chimney sweep, mudlark, and, yes, thief. It's the only way he can clear his name and find the culprit. But turning back is not easy, and old enemies don't disappear. Can Conn pull himself out of the gutter one more time?</p> <p>Sarah Prineas magically transports you to an extraordinary world where cities run on living magic and a young thief can become a powerful wizard.</p>