While his home rebuilds, Valian finds himself in chains, headed to the imperial capital, Soltar. There, he’s to either die in the sands of the arena or stand trial for the death of an imperial princess. Not all is as it seems, though. A dark shadow moves while corruption eats away at the heart of the greatest city in the empire. Can Valian escape the dark machinations in which he finds himself surrounded, or will he become the tool by which the empire falls?