An age is ending.

In the Frayed Lands, Salahi and Hollow refugees from Karath press on towards the ruins of the Winter Palace, hoping to claim the Light and join the ranks of the Sharded Few. But great forces are stirring in opposition: riftbeasts stalk the plains, the People of the Wind are unsettled, and a legion of the dead is gathering under the will of the Radiant Emperor. Heth Su Canaav must navigate both the treacherous politics of his new hold and the dangers that are closing in around them all.

And he must do so without Rhenna and Deryn, who have vanished after embarking on a mission to tell the Black Sword about Cael Shen's betrayal and the mad ambitions of the Duskhold's White Spider. The truth of what happened to them can be found far away in the Sanguine City of Ashasai, but the bloodlords have set great plans in motion, and Deryn will find himself an important piece in a game that spans worlds . . .