Intent on defeating the Dark Queen and destroying the Veil, Prince Tal and Alexandria arrive at Markingham to discover a city on the verge of collapse, its people starving, and children vanishing without a trace. Hopes of launching attacks from the city against the Dark Queen evaporate. To make matters worse, the tiny breach in the Veil allows only a trickle of soldiers and supplies to pass through.Before the city's defenses can be restored, the Baleful, a vast army composed of melded humans and animals led by a giant centaur, sweeps across the land like locusts, leaving nothing behind.In the midst of turmoil and conflict, the love between Tal and Alex reaches white-hot intensity. But the leader of a renegade militia group wants Tal for herself and will do anything to get him...even strike a bargain with a child-killing witch for a potion to make her irresistible.But every witch's brew comes with a price.