Sanaron is a city of fog and violence; a place where even the past can disappear. Kanar Reims, an ex-soldier known as the Blackheart, hides a dangerous secret. Exiled from the Realmsguard, he wants nothing to do with the kind of magic that destroyed his life. That is until his team of mercenaries is offered a job they can’t refuse. He’ll need the help of others working in the city: An assassin who uses the bones of her enemies in her art. An archer with strange skills. And a stranded sailor whose loyalties are unknown. Impossible wealth awaits if they succeed, but far more is at stake if they fail, for a deadly magic will be unleashed upon the world.

The Prophet has been defeated, but the real danger is still to come. When a dangerous foe comes to the city looking for Kanar, he must find a way to avoid the Hunter while uncovering the truth of a persistent magic they thought defeated. While Honaaz chases his past, Lily wants only to help, but she’ll have to rediscover her own truth before she can do so. Morgan works with the council, taking the seat once held by her father, and finds help through an unlikely ally. Powerful workings of witchcraft surround the city—only none know why or who’s responsible. Kanar’s team looks for answers, even though they’ve begun to fragment. They’ll need to work together to stop true destruction, but it may be too late to stop the coming war.

War comes. Magic can either save them—or destroy everything. The team has splintered, but they still fight the same war. Honaaz and Lily sail north, where they find a dangerous new threat that threatens more than the coast. Finn and Morgan make their way to bring a warning to the king so that what happened in Sanaron does not happen in Rayend. And Kanar travels into the Alainsith lands where he learns the truth of the war, and that it might be already too late to stop.

The Alainsith claim the memories of the past are stored in the Song. Others use the Song for power. Finn and Morgan have reached the capital only to find it abandoned. People have evacuated, but Finn needs to know if the king is among them. Honaaz and Lily prepare for an attack, though they may already be too late. The Alainsith are moving, and the defenses are woefully outnumbered. If they can’t hold them back, Reyand—and all they care about—will be overwhelmed. When Kanar learns the truth about his sword, the Blackheart must become something more. He must become a true Blade Bearer. Jal wants to help him, but he must understand why the song has changed before he can, as it may be the key to saving them all.

As the drumbeats of war intensify, the Bearers must answer. Finn and Morgan struggle to return to Verendal, finding only destruction in their wake. With none to unite the scattered people, it’s up to an executioner and his one time prisoner to save as many as they can before the war claims even more lives. Honaaz needs a fleet to attack the Alainsith, but even that might not be enough. As the defenses begin to fail, only a desperate ploy will save them. Kanar in the Bearer, but struggles with his song. And if he can’t find it, Jal will be lost to them. War splinters alliances and forges new ones, but all have a part to play.