Publisher's Synopsis
On the island of Merith, the Hansweighn holiday will begin at sundown. The people will feast in honor of the Chancellor's victory over the magical races of Shallyghal. Unbeknownst to all, this Hansweighn brings a surprise: a vile peril has breached Merith's Great Barrier and will soon enjoy its own dark feast. As the sun nears the horizon, adult cadets enter a test designed to remove the less devout prior to ascension into the Chancellor's Army. Cord Sullivan worries it will reveal his curse, the magic hiding in his bones, a trait worthy of a fiery execution. Meanwhile, Rorry te Gwirion, a young noblewoman, plans to use the distractions of the holiday to escape Merith and a blackmail-enforced engagement. Only on the continent can she find her sister, whom her father sold into slavery. She and Kylan Nock, a young man interested in the wilder pursuits the seas have to offer-and perhaps a handsome dockhand or two, hope to convince their friend Scarlett Hywel to come along. Scarlett's innate magic might unlock the secrets of Shallyghal, easing their flight to the continent. As demonic invaders and their cursed wolfkin rip across the heart of Merith and through its people, the young ones will need help to survive. But, who can they trust? A band of foreign mercenaries comprised of a flirt, a half-ogre cook, two Ukrestian monks, and a peculiar sorcerer? Or their mysterious prisoner? Discovering secrets of elves, dwarves, satyrs, and piks in the shadows, they learn why it is imperative to the entire world of Cyr that they reach the continent.
