Avill and her mother are prisoners, held in a dank dockside warehouse by men who plan to sell them to slavers.But Avill's mother has a secret, an amulet with powerful magic. It offers escape--but only for one of them.Can Avill abandon her mother to slavery and flee into a strange city far from home? Or will she find another option?* * Spoiler Alert: intended to be listened to after Heart of the Empire, The Broken Lands, Book 1