Wanting nothing more than to pick up the broken pieces of his life after Ember’s devastating decision, he refuses to accompany Max and Queen Bale as they desperately try to unify Talohna against the coming Ri’Tek threat. With Lady Coleta’s words from the Stillwater battlefield weighing heavily on his mind, a suspicious new ally arrives at Solikyr Castle, convincing Kael to set out for Albynor with Kenna and Lycori at his side. After a disastrous stop at Ellewen’s Keep, they push on to their original destination, but what they find in the sleepy mountain village just might change the face of Talohna forever, and it sends them off on a quest to the most dangerous corners of the world. From the Ama Taugr home of Kastali Fortress on the Northmen island to the farthest reaches of the Deep Earth below the Orotaq-controlled Black Hollow, Kael and those with him search for a way to solve one of Talohna’s greatest mysteries. Contains mature content.