When he finally gets answers to all his questions, the truth will level him.

Japhet has understood the chaos is all one whole, a scheme the size of Halural. What he can't figure out is whom to blame. It's hard to believe that anyone other than his cabal could have the patience or reach to achieve a plot this big, but it ought to be impossible for them to betray each other. He can't know Zigira's going out to bars and playing cards with the puppet master in the shadow of the Apropote's palace.

Tibor's machinations haven't gone unnoticed, and he can't tell if his new ally means to keep him close or closer. Returned to the Cities with the shocking truths he learned, Ephrem will be drawn into the sphere of the cabal in a way he never imagined. And Alary will find herself the last line of defense between a man she's still coming to trust and a foe he isn't able or willing to face.