Nyra Valeblood, the last living ember of a bloodline the empire fears, is captured after her uncontrolled fire burns down her own city. Kael Dareth, the empire's captain, is ordered to bring her back alive — or kill her himself. As he drags her across the Ashen Veil, an unwanted bond forms between hunter and prisoner, both of them carrying old wounds and darker histories than either admits.
They find refuge in a ruined temple with Isareth, a mysterious keeper of forbidden knowledge, and Madryn, a magic-user with his own agenda and a growing hold over Nyra's untrained power. As imperial killers close in and Nyra's fire grows harder to control, the three of them are pulled into a tangled knot of loyalty, desire, and survival — while the empire's true purpose for Nyra begins to surface, forcing her to choose not just who to trust, but who she's willing to become.
