The Burnished King has escaped his tomb. In the demi-god's wake, a stone-plague creeps across the lands and Never must stop the ancient decay before it swallows everyone he cares for. Despite his determination, there is no cure and no guarantee that even his Amouni blood will be enough. Never's search for the means to fight back leads him to the Amber Isle once more, where the island continues to hold its secrets close. But it is there that Never encounters the beautiful and mysterious Rikeva, a Quisoan Weaver on her own quest, and realises that together, there might be a way to stop the plague after all...