Deadly secrets lurk within the forest. A year after Aibek and Faruz helped the villagers of Nivaka defeat Helak's army, a new threat looms. A mysterious disease is killing the sacred Shadow Trees, and Nivaka will crumble without them. To locate the ancient beings that rule the forest and find the cure, Aibek and Faruz are forced to split up, but both are dangerously unaware of the horrors that await them. Eager to prove his prowess after a year in the forest, Aibek plunges into the depths of the Tsari Forest-and straight into deadly creatures' territories. Faruz, still healing from battle wounds, leads an expedition north, but unseen dangers lurk behind every tree, and Faruz must adapt quickly if he's to survive the secrets of the swamp. Any misstep by either could be fatal, not just for them but for the forest itself. Can Aibek and Faruz find the cure to the mysterious illness, or will this mark the end of Nivaka?