After the death of Maal and Musmahu, Kestel and Eriwasteg contend with the intrigues of Maal's court to take control of the Sacred Realm, but their different cultures and Kestel's growing visions of the Capital's destruction put them both at risk.

Julia, now Spymistress of the Citadel after murdering her protégé, Harpalus, must protect the Citadel's prelates from a new Vutai agent while dealing with her own crippling guilt. Meanwhile, General Marcus Dio is asked to forge a combined army from the remnants of the bitter civil war, but his own secrets threaten to upset the Citadel's push to retake their ancestral homeland.