Washington DC, 1914. Ivy Olwen knows how to survive on the streets, but when she is whisked into a secret society that seeks to maintain the balance of good and evil in the world, she can't believe there's more to life than just surviving. In the hallowed and historied halls of Talon, she learns European languages and ballroom dancing, as well as demolitions and sharpshooting-- in short, everything a spy and assassin will need to survive in the field. Jack Vale takes Ivy under his wing-- and into his heart. While the world tumbles into war, the two embark on an official mission to take down a madman who has left a trail of blood and murder across Russia. Little do they know the unfathomable peril waiting in the wings of a chaotic Europe. -- adapted from back cover