As the Jaegal Empire moves to war against the city-state of Apsia, an unknown player begins to manipulate events, and long-hidden secrets come to light that threaten not only the outcome of the war, but also the fabric of reality itself.Erlandr, the sorcerer who longs to die and cannot, searches for the truth of his past while being guarded by his once friend Adence. The priestess Irwa seeks to conceal her past as she draws closer and closer to the man she has been sent to assassinate. Joaquim, son of a ruined merchant, is driven to smuggling--and worse--to shore up the family fortune. And Dag, once a killer for hire, has been drawn out of retirement for one last job.