In defiance of Imperial law, Jerrel bn'Hadar, mercenary and trader, has come to the primitive world of Errandane in search of his brother Santar, who disappeared while on a mission for the Imperial Rediscovery Service. Jerrel expected to find danger in Errandane's rugged mountains. He didn't expect to find a beautiful and fiercely independent runner who may hold the key both to his brother's disappearance and to his own heart...but only at a price he dare not pay.

Nareen of Kalinden is on a desperate mission to bring help for her city, which is under attack from the murderous Beast Men. An orphan rescued from the streets of Kalinden and raised to be a runner, one of the highly trained couriers who carry the urgent messages of the Masters of Errandane, Nareen would give her life to protect her city and its people. But how can she possibly face the needs roused within her by one dangerous, blue-eyed stranger if it means losing...everything?