Emergence saw the marid finally in a position to take a breath. The Shadow Guild, while still in existence, had been pushed back, allowing Taibini, Bren, and the dowager to begin moving for better territorial position. Nomani was identified as the likely inheritor or lands previously held by insurgents, and in Resurgence the mysterious Machigi appeared with a proposition to solidify his power as well as offer the marid a share. But remnants of the Shadow Guild interrupted proceedings, giving rise to the question are things as stable as readers thought? Divergence (2020) answers that question.
Divergence kicks off precisely where Resurgence ended aboard the red train. Bren is trying to make sense of the strange social, and by default political, milieu the dowager has created. Nomani, still not entirely trustable, continues to push for a lordship, while Machigi sits quietly saying and doing all the right things yet not being entirely open about his long-term intentions. Or is he? In the capital, Cajeri is taken deeper into the confidences of his father and mother as he proves worthy of their trust. And while at a distance from the action, proves his role in the capital can still pack a punch.