Royalty, monks, and madmen live in a precarious balance, and by night take shelter from monstrous living corpses. None know how to leave the Harbor, but if Isoka cant find a way to capture Soliton and return it to the Emperors spymaster before a year is up, her sisters Toris life will be forfeit. But theres more to Toris life back in Kahnzoka than the comfortable luxury Isoka intended for her. By night, she visits the lower wards, risking danger to help run a sanctuary for mage - bloods fleeing the Emperors iron fist. When she discovers that Isoka is missing, her search takes her deep in the mires of intrigue and revolution. And she