"Cities have been broken. Empires have fallen. And darkness is coming. Success has drawn a cold gaze. A false king seeks dominion. His soldiers will bring desolation and despair to Darien. With treachery on all sides, the ancient capital looks set to fall. Yet within the walls of that great city, a small team gathers. Tellius knows each one: a hunter, a gambler, a dead man, a wielder of threads - and the sword saint of Shiang. When Darien herself is threatened, Tellius will ask them to stand. A city is worth more than the lives of those within. Darien's streets and courts and homes and taverns are a bonfire on the hill, a beacon of life and light in the world. That is why they will die to save her."--Publisher description.