With her master dead and her oaths foresworn, necromancer and spy Isyllt Iskaldur finds herself in exile. Hounded by assassins, she seeks asylum in Assar, the empire she so recently worked to undermine.

Warlords threaten the Empire's fragile peace, and the fiery jinn arm themselves for battle. Worse, incursions into the buried city of Irim have woken ancient powers long held dormant - powers that can destroy mortals and spirits alike.

Isyllt and an outcast jinn must travel through warring armies into the heart of the desert and lay the darkness in Irim to rest once more. But first they must stop an order of mages that will do anything to keep the Empire safe - even raze it to dust.