Kile Veller continues her quest to become a Hunter despite the obstacle set in her way, but those obstacles are nothing compared to what she is about to encounter. As her time at the Academy comes to an end, the outside world is changing. Plans have been set into motion, which cannot be stopped. Hunters are dying, and some have gone missing. Pirates have been seen on the Southern Seas. The valrik have crossed into Denal, and the uhyre, long thought gone from the world, are amassing in the wastelands under a single shadow, which has reached the Academy. The rumors of war on the western border may be real, and if all that wasn't enough, she still needs to pass her final evaluation.