Love. Betrayal. Revenge.Problems are growing worse for Ash. In order to save Sheela, the woman he loves, he had no choice but to betray her greatest secret. As a result, she was taken prisoner by Duke Schaever, the man who controls the flow of magic into the English Empire. Although Ash has tried to rescue Sheela, failure after failure has made him desperate...desperate enough to accept a new mission from his employers that will strike Duke Schaever at the most personal of levels - by kidnapping Lady Elizabeth Stewart, the Duke's betrothed. It is an assignment fraught with danger, and as Ash moves closer to his goal, he is pulled deeper into the Duke's world - a place that reveals the abominations of magic and science, that gives rise to new enemies, and where Ash learns exactly what motivates the Duke. The discoveries test friendships, love, and loyalties, even as it forces Ash to question what it means to live.And what it means to die.