Epic fantasy followup to HALL OF SMOKE, featuring crumbling empires, secretive cults and godlike powers to be claimed, for readers of Margaret Owen, Brian Staveley, V. E. Schwab and Melissa Caruso After a brutal war between the gods, Hessa - High Priestess of the Eangen - has brokered a fragile peace. Through great sacrifice, she has forged an alliance between warring tribes and introduced her people to the true god. But a new threat is growing across the southern border. In the remnants of the once-great Arpa Empire, three factions are vying for the imperial throne, and the vast well of raw magical power only accessible to the Arpa Emperor. Already beating back former Arpa legionaries at her borders, Hessa knows she cannot let this chance slip by. She must intervene, for the safety of her people. With the peace she has sacrificed so much for at stake, Hessa must venture into the heart of enemy territory, where warring Arpa factions are not the only danger she must face. A sinister new cult is on the rise, one with the power to suck the life from everything it touches. With enemies on every side and her fragile alliance beginning to waver, Hessa must decide who to trust - no matter what it may cost her...