The “Sect of New Practitioners” deals a heavy blow to Argento; the king wants revenge. The innocent must squirm so they don’t end up in the executioner’s basement, while the guilty try to frame others in their place. Eison starts to think that things in Belba were somehow calmer… Two or three deadly duels a day, and the rest of the time you rest… One consolation—powerful new artifacts finally let you strike back at the higher demons. But not all plans for fighting them go the way it was intended… And it’s not because of the demons’ wisdom, but because of human stupidity.