Edrin the Drifter managed to kill the creature that Scallgrim sent, but it had time to devastate Setaris and infect the magical leadership with parasites that command the will. Edrin’s own Gift—the ability to invade someone else’s mind—is coming apart at the seams, and after an interrogation of the captured sorcerer he miraculously remains alive. There’s no time to rest: Scallgrim’s troops are already invading the mountain people’s lands. With a handful of allies, Edrin tries to slow down the advance, but the mountain paths are teeming with gods and demons, soaked in witchcraft and responding to terrifying traces of the past—the mage-tyrant’s legacy. To win, the Drifter will have to stop and stand beside those he fears the most—even if the price turns out to be madness or something far worse.