When the last of the Gravediggers, an elite imperial infiltration unit,
are disbanded and hunted down by the emperor they once served, munitions
expert Colonel Thomas Granger takes refuge in the unlikeliest of
places. He becomes a jailer in Ethugra - a prison city of poison-flooded
streets and gaols in which a million enemies of the empire are held
captive. But when Granger takes possession of two new prisoners, he
realises that he can't escape his past so readily. Ianthe is a young
girl with an extraordinary psychic talent. A gift that makes her unique
in a world held to ransom by the powerful Haurstaf - the sisterhood of
telepaths who are all that stand between the Empire and the threat of
the Unmer, the powerful civilization of entropic sorcerers and
dragon-mounted warriors. In this war-torn land, she promises to make
Granger an extremely wealthy man, if he can only keep her safe from
harm. This is what Granger is best at. But when other factions learn
about Ianthe's unique ability, even Granger's skills of warfare are
tested to their limits. While, Ianthe struggles to control the powers
that are growing in ways no-one thought were possible. Another threat
is surfacing: out there, beyond the bitter seas, an old and familiar
enemy is rising - one who, if not stopped, will drown the world and all
of humanity with it...