Hunt the mage. Save the child. Defy the storm.

Across the ruins of Ferron, the rotstorm ever rages. From its nightmarish depths, demons and goblins and rust-folk have struck forth and claimed the Northern Marches as their sanctuary. Through the Undal Protectorate, the land is gripped in a Claw Winter, a frozen mirror of the punishment laid down to the west.

Abandoned on the island of Riven, Floré and her comrades must find their way back to the Protectorate. Floré's daughter Marta is hidden somewhere in the north, dying from the skein-magic she cannot yet control. And now, a centuries-old problem threatens to cause new problems for Floré—and it threatens to be the most challenging yet...

For, after centuries of bondage, the immortal mage Tullen One-Eye—the man they call 'Deathless'—has been unchained, and the great god-wolf Lothal hunts again. To make matters worse, deep in Orubor's Wood, the god-bear Anshuka stirs from her slumber.

The awakening of three unknown forces spells bad news for Floré and the Ferron. For, the last time the Judges warred, an empire fell.

If she is to save her daughter and free her people, Floré will have to defeat the great wolf Lothal and kill the 'Deathless' Tullen. But how can she kill the unkillable man? And will steel alone be enough to take down the gods themselves?