The Ashen Hand has come to Belsus. Elara, a young witch of the Collegium, runs for her life as her coven is purged. Hunted by fanatics in porcelain masks, she must use her magic—the very thing they hunt—to escape a city of smoke and fear. Her only hope is a single ship bound for the dangerous, neutral-ground of Tarragon.
Lore included in this chapter:
- An excerpt from the banned treatise, "The Void Ascendant," revealing the dark philosophy of the Ashen Hand.
- A primer on the Free State of Tarragon, Elara's potential safe haven.