Not even the flame of rebellion can melt the snows of the Icy Heights in winter. So, despite their resounding victory against the forces of Erstwhile, Baz and his rebels have spent the last four months holed up in Enigma City, waiting for the reprisal that is surely on its way from the rest of Oration come spring. But just as the thaw starts, the unthinkable happens. Enigma is attacked, and one who Baz holds dear is taken. Baz pursues the kidnappers, accompanied by Rox and Eromér the Book Dragon. Their chase takes them into the Karst, the mysterious wasteland beyond the eastern limits of Oration. There, Baz meets the natives and enlists their aid. The natives' help isn't free, though. The Ravagers, invasive barbarians who live at the borders of their territory, have a new leader, a terrifying figure known simply as the Placid Man, and Baz must agree to dispatch this villain in return for the natives' help. Sounds easy enough. After all, Baz has survived far worse and he has a dragon on his side. But the Placid Man is no ordinary foe, and when Baz learns his true identity, everything will change... "This series is right up there with Robin Hobb's Elderling books." -Review of on the Fantasy Faction FB Group "D. T. Kane is an amazing storyteller." -A Maze of Words