An exiled hero. A woman with a dangerous secret. A love forged in fire and blood. Kael Varron lost everything the night he refused to burn a village. Exiled, stripped of his rank, and separated from his dragon Rook, he's survived three years in the wilderness on skill and stubbornness alone. When the Council offers him a chance at redemption, escorting a noble through monster-infested territory, he knows it's a trap. He takes it anyway. Lady Elowen Sablemere has spent her life hiding a forbidden she can hear dragons' thoughts. The Council wants her gone, and the treacherous journey through the Shatterwild is the perfect solution. But she's done being a pawn in their games. If she's going to die, she'll die fighting. What neither expects is each other. As coordinated monster attacks drive them together, Kael and Elowen uncover a conspiracy reaching the highest levels of power. Someone is manufacturing a crisis, using alchemy to turn wildlife into weapons, and the evidence points to the Council itself. With Rook's help, they must survive impossible odds, expose the truth, and stop a plot that could reignite the ancient war between humans and dragons. But survival isn't enough anymore. Somewhere between the bloodshed and the quiet moments by the fire, Kael and Elowen have found something worth fighting each other.
