FROM THE RUINS OF CAELUM, A DARKNESS RISES. In a world shattered by war, where queens are murdered and entire cities burned to ash, seventeen-year-old Ariella has trained her whole life to be a ruthless, thieving warrior. Forged of rage and sharper than any blade in her arsenal, her only goal is her freedom—and the freedom of those she loves, including her charming and handsome best friend, Max. But being free of the Malum's cruelty comes at a cost. When an ancient city, prophesized to hold a weapon of immense power is at risk of falling into the wrong hands, Max and Ariella see it as an opportunity to buy themselves the freedom they've so desperately fought—and killed—for. Stealing a mythical weapon should be easy enough, right? As loyalties are broken and allies turn to villains, they must use the skills they've honed from years of cruelty and navigate through games of power and dark magic to stop a war that could destroy more than just their lives . . . For amid the scheming and treachery of two rival kingdoms, a darkness once again rises from the shadows. And it threatens to destroy everything in its path.