Rumors about women are rarely true, but should whispers about powerful men be adhered to? Valxina Kulrani wants nothing more than to join the Keepers, an all women legion that protects the House of Badawi's spring of immortality. The Keepers prevent rival kingdoms from using the spring to create immortal armies-an undertaking forbidden by the King, for only he and his chosen are allowed to use the spring's waters. When Valxina finally achieves her dreams, she expects safety and protection after a life of poverty. But Valxina soon discovers that her new existence isn't what she thought. Keepers are vanishing in the dead of night-including Valxina's superior, Sera. Worried that her status won't keep her safe and that she and the other new Keepers could be the next to disappear, Valxina devises a plan: seduce the Lord of Badawi, Zessfar, into telling her what he knows about the disappearances. As she grows closer to Zessfar and they put together the pieces of Sera's disappearance, Valxina realizes she might be falling for him. But things in the House of Badawi are never as they seem. Whispers spread like wildfire behind the marble walls-about the true cost of the spring's waters, and the lengths that the House of Badawi is willing to go to keep those secrets quiet. Valxina must learn to separate truth from deception in a court where the truth could get her killed.