Arbin, the jewel of the kingdom, is a city bowed beneath the weight of a war it doesn't want.

Tane is thrown a lifeline when he is given a cosy job treasure hunting for a rich noble family, and he thinks he can escape the fast closing winter and impending shortages. Not to mention the King's soldiers rousting unwilling recruits for the war with the western tribes and keeping the city in virtual lockdown.
But the city's factions are all at play, with underhanded dealings and knives in the dark. Assassins are scrambling for cover, the Mayor is on the election warpath, and refugees are already spilling in from the west.
With the kingdom's finest bellowing for action, the only question is whether the city can hold itself together long enough, or if the war within will tear it apart.