The battle for the emperor's throne grows ever fiercer. The City of Countless Souls cowers behind locked doors as the whims of the downtrodden and the powerful bring the great game of Araxes to its chaotic conclusion. With the soulblade at his hip and magic in his soul, Caltro's freedom is almost within his grasp. But as Temsa's reign of murder clashes with Widow Horix's plans, the locksmith's fate becomes all the more entwined with the needs of dead gods, vengeful royals, and the Cult. While the Core Districts descend into chaos, debts left unpaid in the desert haunt Nilith's long-awaited arrival in the city. A new foe is hunting her through the streets, an enemy with enough power to rival even that of the Cloudpiercer. Yet all their struggles pale in comparison to the dark omen that is spreading through the empire, lurking beneath their feet: