Amal is a witch who, despite her young age, has become the mayor’s (rose city) regent. A powerful warrior has her own personal squad of sorcerers. Word of Amal’s cruel temper spread far beyond the lands she rules.
But Amal’s power is powerless against the darkness hiding in the alleys. An unknown killer murders young women, leaving only dried-out bodies behind—and the killer’s goal remains unknown even to the inhabitants of the Unclean Forest.
One day, a deserter appears at the city walls—Amir—asking to join the regent’s court to escape the navirs, the emperor’s special troops. Perhaps this man is connected in some way to the horrors taking place in Varos.
But who is he: a victim or a brutal murderer?
The shadows thicken, and it becomes clear: there is a power over which nothing has authority…