Fourteen years have passed since the country of Cēna Barēkara last knew war. They lived through the horrors of the Apostate and his rebellion, fought and died as he threatened to tear their country apart. They've healed their wounds, rebuilt their towns, and have done their best to move on. But a strange message from the far off city of Māṛī Jag'hā threatens to bring their brief time of peace to a crashing end. Commander Maddox Vel marches his battalion to Māṛī Jag'hā's aid while War Mistress Pantea Osulf stands vigilant guard over their capital city of Rājadhānī. As an ancient evil raises its head and corruption spreads, Maddox and Pantea are thrown in a hopeless struggle to pull their country back from the brink.