The tyrant is dead. The war is far from over.

Aelin barely survived the rebellion that brought down the blood-soaked throne. Now branded a traitor and haunted by the things she had to do, she wanders the shattered edges of a country still burning. The so-called victors want peace—but only on their terms. And for girls like Aelin, peace is just another kind of prison.

When a coded message arrives bearing her late commander's seal, Aelin is drawn back into the fray. What she finds is a resistance splintered by betrayal, and a new leader willing to scorch the earth for power. Old allies have turned into enemies. And the one person she might still trust—Seraphine, the assassin who once spared her life—is hiding secrets of her own.

Bound by blood oaths and a past she can't outrun, Aelin must choose: stay silent and survive, or ignite the last spark of rebellion—and risk becoming the monster they all believe she is.

In a world built on broken vows and buried truths, loyalty is a weapon—and Aelin is done being anyone's pawn.