They're about to save the world. Just don't call them heroes. Deep in the cold, damp tunnels below the city of Thrallkeld, Liam has beautiful Cael keeping him warm as they try to piece together what Wynnie stole from the Shadow Queen. But all the while, Liam wonders if the charming actor's allegiances are as ever-changing as his roles onstage. A world away on the river outside the city, as Wynnie's spirit hovers between her body and the great beyond, Griff and Mal cling to each other in the shadows of a fisherman's hut, desperate to save her. Mal is convinced their only hope is to make a deadly wager-one that could win him both answers about a cure and the chance to finally ask Griff to marry him. Meanwhile, torn between her mother's uncertain fate and a forbidden affair, Alys seeks a cure of her own among Lady Riya's intoxicating flowers as she tries to decide whether she can fight for a love that may never be fully returned. But when the truth of Wynnie's theft is revealed-the skeletal remains of the first dragon-everyone's fractured hopes collide with a threat that could burn the world to ash. The Shadow Queen's forces are rapidly approaching, sent to collect the missing bones so that the queen can resurrect her beloved creature that once birthed winged armies and toppled kingdoms. Worse, her magic is stronger now thanks to the treasures that Griff, Mal, and Alys found in the Mire. And when they try to flee in the night, they realize the army already has the city surrounded. It's time for some flashy heroics. And if they can find the courage to love while the world is on fire, they just might stand a chance in the battle to come.
