The first time Emerson met Hyacinth, he gave the beautiful boy a flower. Afterward, his father told him to not speak with slaves. Ten years later, Emerson has become part of an anti-empire resistance group known as the Insurgents under the moniker of Hemlock, working to topple the conquering emperor who'd taken the Kingdom of Rolaine in his iron grip nineteen years ago. One wintry night along with his partner in crime, he rescues a damaged man from the mines with mismatched eyes, who Emerson takes in to provide a home for the winter. And as the snow thaws to give way to spring, the two men would discover that there is more depth to their feelings than youthful infatuation, but just as they start to open their hearts the outside world comes knocking in. Sent on a quest to save a royal life, Hemlock's and Hyacinth's lives entangle with politics and rebellion, conspiracies, and war. And secrets that are better kept buried...will unearth, like a phoenix rising from ashes... For vengeance.