The Star Blade has been found, but at a terrible cost. Jerris and Niarie must pick up the pieces after the battle that cost the lives of their friends. With Darien lost, Jerris and Niarie set out to report the treachery of the inquisitor, Traiz Tiberius, and discover just how deep his conspiracy reaches.
They must uncover the corruption in the Order of the Golden Shield in time to prevent a war between the newly crowned Empress, and her former rivals in the Order. Jerris and Niarie must rely on their own wits, their own strength, and the power of the growing bond between them, to build an alliance against the Demon King.
Hundreds of miles away, in the town of Exire, a refuge for misfits, rogues, and outcasts of all stripes on the snowy slopes of the Leaning Mountain, a young woman with a special gift for healing is awakened by a dread premonition. Mirisa, a refugee from the hidden forest kingdom of Catarina, looks to the sky and witnesses a terrible battle between light and darkness. Following her instincts, she finds a wounded half-elf with a black sword dying on the side of the mountain.
Though she does not know his name, Mirisa pulls Darien back from the brink of death. Weeks later, Darien awakens, tortured by his failure to foresee Traiz's betrayal, and tormented by the knife wound that returns daily and refuses to heal. Though determined to return to his friends, Darien finds himself completely dependent on Mirisa's healing talent to keep the mysterious injury at bay.
Trapped in Exire, Darien discovers Mirisa has other abilities, a latent magical talent that she has suppressed for the sake of her brother and the laws of his people, and a disturbing ability to perceive the demonic energy of the Demonβs Blade. Though he attempts to remain quiet until able to fully recover, Darien finds himself unwillingly drawn into the problems of Mirisa and the people of Exire. He must attempt to discover the truth behind Mirisaβs mysterious powers, and find a way to heal his injury, before his enemies inevitably find him.