Elmaran Cherlmin spent the last eight years rising through the ranks in the Thaurian military . . . for nothing. After Thaurir successfully conquers the western half of Vathkeras, a foreign continent where tremors tear countries apart, he is arrested for treason. His accusers send him to a brutal work camp across the eastern divide where attacks from a mysterious, violent woodspeople are a constant threat.

In an act of desperation to clear his name, Elmaran reaches out to Athira Delanor, a woman who sees him as the enemy. As a fallen noble with a life-long sentence, Athira’s only objective is to reunite with her family and find freedom after an unjust arrest. When an unexpected opportunity to escape turns sour, she and Elmaran are forced to help the elusive easterners with a task that could claim their lives.

Their captor, Rethar Elendar, provides them with only threats and vague answers to help them achieve his demands. Burdened with guilt and the weight of his nation in peril, Rethar throws together a plan that seems more likely to kill them than to prevent encroaching foes from taking his people’s most valuable resource.

Enemies turn to friends as they face daunting perils and fight their own battles. The fate of Vathkeras and even its arch enemy, Thaurir, will depend on their ability to keep this resource secret. Prejudice must be broken and allegiances will shift in this thrilling tale of self-discovery, espionage and political intrigue.