Upon realizing that her uncle was murdered, later in the book, and learning about the extensive nature of the secret world of mages and sorcerers in this secret world, Stephanie decides to escape her previously boring and tedious life and join this new one aswell. She begins by helping Skulduggery investigate Gordon's death. Over the course of their search, Skulduggery and Stephanie gradually uncover a greater plot for world domination by a previous general in the magical war again in attempt to bring back the Faceless Ones. Stephanie's yet had uncle had unearthed an ancient weapon used by the first sorcerers, the Ancients, to defeat their tyrannical gods the Faceless Ones. He recently sealed this deadly weapon, the Sceptre of the Ancients, in a maze beneath the house of Gordon Edgelys. The "key" is later discovered by Skullduggery that it is in fact the old, insignificant-looking brooch left by her uncle to his brother Fergus' wife, Beryl. The advice was a clue for Skulduggery to notice this.