Raised by a religious order to be a protector of her people, an orphan must prepare for her baptism. Next year, she faces her goddess and will be judged worthy—or drown. **** Orphaned from birth, taken on as a ward of the sands, Teldris has only one path laid out before her—to become a warden of the Order of Malhayar and serve her people and her goddess. But her adopted family has come to mean everything, and she quickly learns that the world will test her loyalties. After a hellish attack that upends the foundations of her temple, she must choose between her family and her faith. Born with an unnatural curse, Leith dele Monroe will do anything to protect those he loves—but his family is fractured. Leith finds himself in a foreign land, ready to do whatever it takes to restore his family and cover up his sister’s sins. And with the bloodlust in his veins, nothing can stop him from getting what he wants. Twisted up in the affairs of the Order, Teldris and Leith are drawn to each other, their fates woven in a tapestry that only the bloodiest dagger will rend.