Merciless Fate was never on her side. The only thread spared was Chaos.

Steal. Escape. Survive.

Serena Asradera has lived by these words her entire life. Surviving in Taranport, the thriving capital of Saerlona, proves to be no different. But when her daring exploits lead to the Phantom Bandit's capture by the city's guard and she is sentenced to the gallows, her quest for a relic to save the people she loves—and the new world she's made her home—takes a harrowing turn. No one can help her escape the noose slowly tightening around her neck. Not the man she loves, Rhydian Damascus, Crown Prince of Saerlona, who is as much a prisoner in his gilded cage as Serena. Not the only person she can trust, Jaxael Cutler, Raid Leader of the Stormbreakers, a bastard bound by honor to protect the very man who has condemned her. Not Celosia Terras, Head Alchemist of the Court of Bloodstone, whose questionable allegiance lies elsewhere. In a realm fraught with more enemies than allies, one thing becomes painfully clear: the only person who can save Serena is herself.

When a brazen attempt to escape her execution goes tragically wrong, Serena finds herself ensnared by the Fae. Imprisoned in Caelus, the capital of the Faerie Lands, she becomes a pawn in the High King's scheme to leverage her in the war for Aethra. Bound by powerful magic within the confines of the Azurite Citadel, her chances of escape seem bleak. Yet her spirit remains unyielding as she goes head-to-head with the High Commander of the Opposition, a rebel faction at war with the human kingdoms. Zephyr Thanaeris proves to be an equally skilled adversary. It is only a matter of time before one bests the other.

Nothing is as it seems. Alliances shift. Friends lie and betray.

And Serena must navigate through it all in hopes of breaking a century-old curse and bringing peace to Aethra.