Come forth, for you are special. Sookahr the architect is just one of many snakes within Serpentia, an underground society where snakes and their rodent companions have lived in peace for as long as anyone can remember. Their destinies are preordained at birth, when they are fit with skymetal bands to enhance the telekinetic powers that aid them everyday. Given an opportunity unheard of for a snake of his caste, Sookahr and Kwirk, his mouse aid, venture to a recently-destroyed outpost at the far edges of Serpentia, hoping to redesign the structure and prove his skill as an architect. But something watches from the jungle, and whatever attacked the outpost is poised to strike again. Will Sookahr's drive to rise above his station get his team killed? Or will he respond to the call he's heard since birth, and be the hero who can save them all?

Sometimes the hardest part of being the hero is knowing when not to… Sookahr has been cast out, forced to live in exile while the Burrow’s corruption continues. He’s determined to stop the crimes of his people, so when an encounter with the terrifying rebel rodents brings him an unexpected ally, his quest begins anew. From the great nursery tower to the heart of the darkest jungle, Sookahr and his friends seek a path to justice, pursued by the viper general who wants nothing more than to see him dead. His dreams whisper to him of freedom, his heart longs for Virrlahn, and the whole of Serpentia is threaded through with oppression, subjugation, and war. Winner of the 2021 Coyotl Award for Best Novel Dive into the latest Serepentia adventure!