Valdas, Captain of the High Guard, has not only failed in his duty to protect the king, but he's been accused of the murder, and he's on the run. He doesn't believe in magic, which is unfortunate: his king has set him another task from beyond the grave. Mirza is the healer-witch of a Landstrider band, valued and feared in equal measure for her witchmark, her scolding tongue, and her ability to walk the spirit world. When she's given a task by Valdas' dead king, she believes that the journey she must take is one she can never return from. Lind was paid to kill the king, but who is to blame: the weapon or the power behind it? As the usurper king drives Zavonia to the brink of war, a dangerous magical power is rising up in Biela Miasto. And these three are the only people who can set things right. -- adapted from back cover