Maximilian is the last of the Valyevskys’ baronial line. His entire family has been executed—allegedly for an attempted attack on the influential Duke Odoevsky, who coveted the lands belonging to the barons. The young man managed to avoid execution, but not punishment. From now on, he is a condemned man. The one who first encounters the altered creatures of the dark god Skron. “Die, but make it happen” — that is the motto of condemned men, firmly etched into the head of the last of the Valyevskys. The duke stripped Maximilian of everything except honor and thirst for revenge. The young man swore to climb out of the pit he’d been thrown into and lay claim to his family’s share. But first, he must deal with training and survive. Of anything else, aspiring condemned men can hardly dream.