Nineteen years ago, the world was upended when the blood sorcerer Arran Sylvaissen invaded Vailana and sent the Mage-Gifted into exile, slavery or death.
Now, Arran's dark goals are finally within his reach. His war against the Forest of the Morning, last refuge of the Mage-Gifted, will soon be decided. His sorcerous creations are ready to overrun the whole continent; his children, blood sorcerers all, proudly await his bidding.
Capturing and corrupting a young mage-soldier, Albryan Lana, is a tiny detail in Arran's grand plan. But when Albryan escapes and flees to the Svanlyn mountains with an aged convict in tow, what he finds there promises to alter the course of the war.
In this world of fate and mischance, only death is certain. High in the reaches of those mountains, Velda Davidz mourns her lost family, completely unaware that she possesses an unheard-of ability to undo magic. Meanwhile, in a city of thieves and Guildmasters, the assassin Nico Klavbert uncovers the sinister past life of his beloved partner in crime and best friend, Fish.
With Arran's brutal daughter, Dannine, hunting them, Velda and Fish must each draw on their unique powers to survive. For them both, the past offers only pain; for them both, the promise of love flickers even amidst the storm of war...
