"Konkol has a gift for vivid descriptive language, drawing the reader quickly and readily into the heart of the story... it adds to the book's dramatic tension and emotional force." -IndieReader With the fires of civil war raging through the streets of Derregain, and winter's bitter winds growing stronger with each passing day, dangerous bargains are struck. Bargains with deadly demons, angry spirits, enigmatic wizards, and ancient fleshcrafters. While the children of the Citadel take their first precarious steps down their own dark, twisting paths, the lost refugees of their civilization fight for their very survival. Deep in the swamps, an ancient horror of unimaginable power moves against them, threatening to destroy what they've struggled to rebuild. But perhaps it's the struggles within that take the greatest toll. Confronted with new, nearly overwhelming compulsions, Raelyn battles to resist the cruel call of her true demonic nature, fearing that, should she falter, she might lose everything.