Richard and his friends are weak, lost, and scattered to the winds. But hope remains. After losing his home nation, Jason and the others in Canada must confront the futility of their fight and resist the whispers that urge them into darkness. Meanwhile, Richard continues on to the Guild of Technology, where he will learn what it means to understand another human being. And behind them all, Malevocrax works to establish its Hybrid Empire, through which it shall begin its education of the human race.