Lorelei Aurelius is the smartest inquisitor in the mountain city of Ancris. When a mysterious tip leads her to a clandestine meeting between the Church and the hated Red Knives, she uncovers a plot that threatens not only her home but the empire itself.

The trail leads to incarcerated thief Rylan Holbrooke. Realising that he's trying to solve the mystery she has just discovered, Lorelei makes the fateful decision to free him. Now branded as traitors, the two must flee on dragonback to the massive forest known as the Holt. And there they discover something terrible: the Red Knives are planning to awaken a powerful demi-god in the holiest shrine in Ancris.

Together, Lorelei and Rylan must return to the city and warn the very people who've vowed to capture them... before it's too late.