A young Freylarkin begins experiencing violent premonitions, foretelling unprovoked attacks on farmsteads along the eastern edge of the vale.  Helping the child to control her visions, Kirika inadvertently learns of new truths involving Darlia – her sister.  Now Kirika must confront Darlia, somehow finding a way to balance the scales of justice in light of her sibling’s atrocities – but can she do so without losing her sister, again? Leyla, a surviving Blade Adept, delivers word of the brutal attacks to the vale, confirming the desperate situation.  Under Lothnar’s command, the scout regiment is sent to quell the savage conflict.  Accompanied by Rayna and Leyla, the scouts discover a malevolent evil bent on expanding its territory, laying waste to all those who might oppose it.  Seeking to prevent such wanton destruction, Rayna discovers a chilling relationship between Freylar’s newest enemy and her miserable past.  Unlike previous encounters with her murky origins, this newest threat clouds the light bringer’s judgement, finding a way to get under her skin, seeking to pull her back into the darkness.

Now recovered from her terrible wounds, a vengeful Lileah returns to Freylar, driving a renewed invasion that threatens to destroy the Freylarkai.  Meanwhile, the sinister shaper Krashnar has infiltrated the vale, garishly working his way towards the very heart of Mirielle's empire, over which her once-loved rule is waning, causing Freylar's queen to tighten her grasp.  Amongst those caught in the wake of Krashnar's destruction is Rayna.  The enigmatic light bringer must find a way to defeat the growing darkness inside her, in a desperate bid to slay her demons, both past and present, to finally put them to rest.Caught between Freylar's growing internal and external pressures, Kirika – the newest member of Freylar's ruling council – must choose between her loyalty to the council and her sister Darlia, an infamous scrier, who has returned from exile to herald the approach of Freylar's ruin.  The burden of foresight now lies with the estranged sisters who must find the confidence and strength required to navigate Mirielle's capricious leadership and rally the Freylarkai to defend their domain.

The Blades are left reeling in the wake of the recent invasion of Freylar as they struggle to reconcile their losses and bolster waning morale.  Recruitment is at an all-time low and The Vengeful Tears – an increasingly zealous band of surviving Blades led by Anika – become cause for concern. In a desperate attempt to solve the problem, Anika is chosen to accompany Rayna, who is tasked with the onerous mission of establishing a new trust with the estranged Order of the Knights Thranis.  Together she and Rayna must journey to Freylar’s southern lands to mend the fractured alliance between the Orders. Pledging their services to the Knights, the pair engage in The Hunt in a bid to prove their worth.  However, before Anika can earn the Knights’ trust, she must first repair the damage to her own soul.  During their secondment to the Knights Thranis, Anika and Rayna learn more about the mysterious Order and its true motives – and more importantly, about themselves.  Yet while they fight alongside their new companions, seeking to earn the Knights’ trust, their domain faces new challenges; previously strong relationships begin to crack and old enemies bide their time in the shadows, licking wounds and harbouring grudges, whilst scheming Freylar’s newest downfall.