Sometimes, it's the outsiders who have the most to offer. And the most to lose. As monstrous hordes of Trell carve bloody swathes across the southern nation of Ollaj, northern Kardalan quietly revels in its neighbor's downfall. Until the Trell appear at their own borders. The fate of both countries now rests upon the shoulders of two unlikely heroes... Erik Hødegaal, a disgraced Kardelian nobleman and warrior, unjustly branded a traitor and shunned for his father's sins. And youthful Prej, the last of Ollaj's mages, an inexperienced apprentice who hides a secret calling she feels ill-prepared to fulfill. To thwart the Trell scourge, these traditional enemies must forge an alliance, rallying a ragtag band of soldiers and sorcerers to face an enemy razing everything in their path. In a world where old grudges run deep and new horrors emerge, Erik and Prej must learn to trust each other—or else bear witness to the destruction of both their homelands. For fans of John Gwynne, Leigh Bardugo, Robert Jordan, and Jennifer Fallon.