Historical textiles and retro romantic fantasy combine in a noir-tinged tale of a city by day, night, and the times between.

Niselt, an enchanter of linen, works alongside potters, grocers, and fellow magicians in the good eastern neighborhoods of the bustling city-state of Gan Ostric. She’s been able to earn a living and help her mother and aunt on the city outskirts, but now she stands to lose her workshop unless she can find twelve jobs before the month is through. (Don’t worry. This is Niselt’s only problem.)

Thief, a thief, takes pride in her trade and the love interests she finds on the wrong side of the law, who only occasionally steal her pants. But as Gan Ostric hosts a delegation from historical enemy Gan Eigric, it’s Thief’s friend Niselt who may have found a dangerous romance…and an even more dangerous secret. (Don’t worry. Gan Ostric has no other secrets.)

When Niselt picks up a job for the palace, a discovery about the fabric’s thread count unspools into a mystery that collides with her uneasy knowledge of the darkness faced by friends in the city and beyond. The people who can help Niselt save her city and herself might be the magicians a good enchanter isn’t supposed to know—and the stranger a good daughter of Gan Ostric isn’t supposed to love. (Don’t look too hard until your work is done.)