A brutal poison. Why would Isander teach Galen how it felt? Years before he becomes a skilled assassin, Galen is still apprenticed to Isander. When his friend Brin is abducted, Galen must decide what he's willing to do to rescue her. In the process, he comes to learn that some men don't deserve the healing Isander teaches. Set before The Painted Girl and events beginning in The Durven.