Hytwen and Ortwen: two remote villages on the southern edge of the Empire of Harion. Separated by a misty lake. And a deadly family secret.

When ex-Imperial Investigator Bander arrives in the village of Hytwen, ragged and half dead after a savage attack on the road, all he wants is the aid of a healer and a new pair of boots. But he's soon pressed into service by the wealthy lord of Hytwen to find a twelve-year-old girl who's been abducted from the manor. Everyone suspects the neighboring village, and with the drums of war beating, time is running out.

As Bander digs deeper, he confronts a brutal gang of trained killers, a mysterious barmaid, and a sinister mage plotting destruction from the shadows. Soon it becomes clear that things aren't what they seem, and the hunt for the missing girl is just part of a diabolical mosaic of murder and chaos that threatens to destroy scores of innocent people.

But not if Bander can help it.