In seventeenth century England, in a coastal hamlet in Dorset, lives fifteen-year-old Tom Wild, son of a fisherman-smuggler. One stormy evening, when Tom makes his way to a sea cave to collect some hidden tobacco for his father, he finds a peculiar cylindrical box on the rocks, washed in by the sea. He takes the box home, hides it, and tells no one. Nevertheless, word of a stranger asking after Thomas Wild reaches him, and in his uneasiness he vows to return the box to the mouth of the cave.

But before he can do so, the stranger finds him. Kidnapped and escorted to London by ship, he is taken to the mysterious Guild of Gatekeepers, an elusive organisation that will kill to keep their secrets. William Devere, the Keeper of the Guild, orders Tom’s death, but his kidnapper gives him a chance at life by naming him as his successor. Initiated into the guild as an apprentice magician, Tom meets Eliza, fellow apprentice and daughter of another member.  

When Tom finds a hidden message from a magician thought dead, he and Eliza discover Devere’s duplicity, his alliance with Cromwell, and his plan to become the most powerful man in England. But for Devere’s plan to succeed, he needs the dragon skin: a piece of dragon hide possessing powerful magic, and the last remaining in the world.

Determined not to let Devere and Cromwell access such potent magic, Tom and Eliza embark on a perilous journey along the south coast in search of the dragon skin. With Devere’s men hot on their heels, can they find the dragon skin and deliver it to the king before it’s too late?

Set during the English Civil War, this exciting story brings to life the dangers of a country in turmoil, weaving magic into historical events and depicting a time when loyalty cost lives. History with a magical twist!