“I’m eager to see how you’ll conquer the world—
whether in light or in ashes and flames.”

For two years, Salje has been missing. Aaron and Valerio tore the realm apart searching for her. Just when hope is lost, she is found in the Südwald and brought to the capital, Assiri.
Salje returns to a life that moved on without her. With Valerio, she faces old feelings, while he tries to forget her in strangers’ beds. Aaron promises her revenge, though he now serves the king who assaulted her.
Beyond the palace’s shining walls, war brews between Elystrien and Silvarien. War machines are a new threat, and Aaron’s sworn enemy, Magnus, demands impossible sacrifices.
But Salje is no longer powerless. Trained in the Südwald by witches and bloodmages, she is more dangerous than her friends think, especially to the fragile order holding Asydiar together.

In a court built on lies, trust is a weapon.
In the end, everyone bleeds alone.