Content Warning: The source material features depictions of sexual assault (coerced kissing), violence, and warfare, including torture and executions. These are handled with sensitivity toward the target audience of young adult readers.

Kazimyrah of Brightmist, who goes by the name Kazi, is an infamous thief who became a guard to the Vendan queen and then a Vendan ambassador in Dance of Thieves, the previous book in this duology. She is now locked in a cell, bleeding, and when she comes to, she wonders how long she has been here. She recalls that her colleague and friend, Synové, foretold this fate.

Kazi also wonders what happened to Jase, who is her lover and the leader, or Patrei, of Tor’s Watch, the fortress they were headed toward. Suddenly, Death appears and tells Kazi it is not yet her time to die.

Two weeks before Kazi’s imprisonment, she and Jase are only a few days from Tor’s Watch after a two-month absence. After Venda’s liaison with the newly recognized Tor’s Watch kingdom, Kazi must ensure a smooth transition as Tor’s Watch and Hell’s Mouth separate from Eislandia. The queen has also told her she must destroy any documents related to weapon creation written by Jase’s hired scholars.