Is peace worth the cost of a young woman's soul? Fans of The Black Mage and Soulfinders will here discover a new adventure full of forbidden magic, manipulating gods, and tainted romance. For over a year, eighteen-year-old Alswyn hid the true cause of her exile to the land of her enemies. Training as a healer in a cloistered sanctuary, she created a new life for herself. But when King Ghalad's intended bride falls prey to a mysterious illness, Alswyn soon recognizes the hand of an ash sorcerer meddling in the politics of fragile peace treaty negotiations. Now Alswyn must face the man who ordered her exile and use her knowledge of forbidden magic to catch the ash sorcerer before he plunges the countryside back into a bitter war. Unfortunately, digging up the bones of Alswyn's past may well prove fatal to her soul.