The are few forces more powerful than the Will of a fully trained Warden, but those who endeavor to become Wardens must first escape the crucible fires of Black Mark Academy. Very few who enter will leave as Wardens, and many will never leave at all.

Lillin ends up at Black Mark Academy not as a willing volunteer, but as forced penance for a past wrong. She soon discovers that the training involved in becoming a Warden is more nightmarish than she could have imagined. With her face marked permanently for her past crimes, she has to either survive the Warden's cruel training program or die in the process. She must discover the determination within herself to move forward and kindle the flames of the eternal fire, the Warden's Will.