Two hundred and fifty years after the zombie apocalypse, the surviving humans live under the rule of a regime which denounces technology and knowledge as the source of the Scourge… Against all advice, Gabriel heads north to negotiate with Nathaniel and the others. He brings Leah with him, who is determined to be reunited with her child’s father. When Michal learns that Gabriel has gone, against her express wishes, she is terrified about what might happen to Darius. Together, she and the necromancer make a plan to make sure he can’t be traded away in negotiations. They will be together, no matter who it hurts. All the while, the revenants surround the empire, tearing at fences, pounding on walls, their jaws open and gaping. Hungering. For flesh. Empire of Rust is a serial novel being published in six parts. This is the fourth installment.