No victory comes without sacrifice. With newfound proficiency in True Sight, Lon Marcs has helped the Rayders to retake their homeland, but at a terrible price. His family has disowned him, his betrothed despises him, and Lon has become the greatest enemy of Appernysia. But living among the Rayders presents its own challenges for Lon. Mutiny swells in the shadows of Taeja's ruins. Only a handful of Rayders remain loyal to their Beholder, so Lon must exercise constant vigilance as he selflessly labors to rebuild the once-glorious city for the arrival of their immigrating nation. Above all else, the greatest question on everyone's mind is who will rise victorious as the new Rayder commander. Appernysia fairs no better. Its civilians are defecting to Taeja every week, fleeing from their own deteriorating kingdom. However, as an Itorean handmaiden, Kaylen Shaw realizes that Appernysia's flaws are far more complex than the rulings of a misguided monarch. The last hope for Appernysia dwells with Mellai Marcs, but can she find the courage to oppose her own twin brother? And an old threat lurks in the west, looming in the shadows of the Forest of Blight.