Set in the universe of Rory Thorne, this new sci-fi mystery follows an unlikely duo who must discover the motive behind an unusual murder. THE TEMPLAR: When Lieutenant Iari hears screams in the night, she expects to interrupt a robbery or break up a fight. Instead she discovers a murder with an impossible suspect: a riev, one of the battle-mecha decommissioned after the end of the last conflict, repurposed for manual labor. Riev don't kill people. And yet, clearly, one has. Iari sets out to find it. THE SPY: Officially, Gaer is an ambassador from the vakari. Unofficially, he's also a spy, sending information back to his government, unfiltered by diplomatic channels. Unlike Iari, Gaer isn't so sure the riev's behavior is just a malfunction, since the riev were created using an unstable mixture of alchemy and arithmancy. As Gaer and Iari search for the truth, they discover that the murderous riev is just a weapon in the hands of a wielder with wider ambitions than homicide--including releasing horrors not seen since the war, that make a rampaging riev seem insignificant...

The Illhari Republic teeters on the edge of war… Rival godsworn battle in Illharek's streets. In the fields and forests, a dragon-led army plots its attack. With powerful allies in the Senate and the Academy trying to maintain order, Snow and Veiko make plans to confront the god's avatar. But as the army--and the dragon--bear down on Illharek, a godsworn assassin shatters the city's fragile peace. As their alliances start to crack, Snow and Veiko find themselves fighting a war on two fronts. Because this isn't a battle for Illharek's streets, it's a battle for Illharek's soul.

On the border of the Illhari Republic… Snowdenaelikk, conjuror and heretic, lives on the edge of the Republic--and the law--as a cartel enforcer. Then a smuggling deal goes bad, a village burns, and she finds herself on the wrong side of a legion patrol. Veiko Nyrikki is an outlaw and an outlander, just trying to survive……until his sense of honor--and his ax--get between Snow and the legion. Now he's got new enemies and new allies and survival's gotten complicated. But Snow and Veiko soon discover the legion is the least of their problems. The Republic is built on the bones of a banished dragon god, and she has come back for revenge.

In the heart of the Illhari Republic… Snowdenaelikk returns to Illharek, the city--and life--she rejected, looking for help against the vengeful dragon god rising on the border. With her comes Veiko, her outlander partner who can talk to the dead. But instead of allies, Snow finds conspiracy. The enemy's already in Illharek. And when the city falls, the dragon will be waiting.