Maer Lakrius feels content and secure in his role of a second-born child in the royal household until the battlefield of Vanas rips his reality apart. Helpless to prevent his older brother's death, Maer returns to the kingdom defeated, and must face not only the weight of his loss, but the burden of becoming Emberya's Crown Prince. A burden, made even worse by the changes in the world Maer believes only he can see. Unknowingly, the young prince's fate becomes entwined with that of a woman—an 18-year-old mercenary with a past she would rather forget, and struggles eerily similar to Maer's own. But with the continent and their different lives lying between them, will the Winds succeed in bringing the two individuals together or will the ethereal, dark tendrils of the world destroy them first?

While Maer struggles to secure a prosperous future for Emberya, Andalia had already forgone fighting for her own. Gowns instead of shackles, she is trapped in the exact life she had tried to escape. The one thing she hadn't counted on, however, was to find a friend in her enemy's son. As they help each other survive the games of court, Maer and Andalia realize the king's actions impact far more than just their individual fates. But even that is only the beginning...

The epic conclusion to the Iron Head Trilogy. Driven by an inexplicable urge to save the one that could be the linchpin of Avvyr's power, Maer and Andalia risk taking on the full weight of the king's wrath. In a world where allies turn into enemies in a blink of an eye, in a world where Avvyr Lakrius' darkness threatens to engulf Lianthe, running isn't enough. Even with the Winds on their side, the king's influence reaches too far. Their only chance is to make a stand. But that precise decision just might come at the price of their lives.

This is not a tale of redemption. It is not a path to inspire dreams. It is the rise of Lakrius. The man of many names. The deceiver of time. The king of fortune lost. Working as a blacksmith for noblemen willing to kill to protect their secrets, Avvyr knows his days are numbered. Unless he walks a path more dangerous than death itself. As he unearths the truth behind their power—something far grimmer than he ever could have imagined—Avvyr realizes there is a way to put an end to the nobles’ brutal reign. But while his intentions are pure, his actions thin the divide between life and darkness, threatening to entrap him in the very cage he wanted the world to escape.​