The Skewed Throne has been destroyed, sacrificed in order to stop invaders from the sea, a desperate people called the Chorl, driven from their islands and in search of a new home. But the threat of the Chorl has not ended. They have retreated...and disappeared. With the cracking of the Skewed Throne, their attention has turned elsewhere and Varis does not know why or where. Reeling from the attack, the city of Amenkor in ruins, she has little time to ponder it. Until she begins to experience some of the same visions and powers she had while attached to the Skewed Throne. But that is impossible. The Skewed Throne is dead. She senses nothing when she touches it. And yet... When an envoy from the city of Venitte arrives, Varis finds herself thrust into the politics of the entire coast. This erstwhile ally comes with dire news. The Chorl are on the march up the coast. Their target: Venitte. No one in Venitte understands why, but they need Amenkor's help. Varis has faced the Chorl before...and survived. And she now understands what is driving them to Venitte in the first place. There is a second throne. And the Chorl will stop at nothing to get it.