Rian has always looked up to Arwel, his older brother. When Arwel joins a dangerous man with plans that could endanger the entire country of Virida, Rian is determined to stop them and get his brother back. To have any chance of saving his brother and his country, Rian must accept a fate he's terrified of. He must become the apprentice of a necromancer, and he must become the Speaker of the Dead.