Having offered sanctuary to the soul of the man who stole her brother's
body, Vree heads north to Shkoder with two kigh struggling to co-exist
in a single body. Although the odds aren't in their favour, there's a
chance, a small chance, the Bards can find Gyhard a body of his own
without anyone else having to die. But Vree was an assassin trained to
kill on command, Gyhard has chosen to kill again and again on a quest
for immortality, and the Bards aren't certain which of them is the more
dangerous. No one, from the guard on the Citadel gate to the King
himself, wants them anywhere near the single Healer who can Sing the
Fifth Kigh.
No one except Magda, the Healer, whose heritage has taught her that
things are not always as they seem.
In the end, Bardic suspicion becomes the least of Vree's problems. The
dead walk in the mountains of Shkoder, kigh confined in rotting corpses,
and Gyhard's past returned to haunt them. Hunted by the Bards and the
Healer's family, Vree, Gyhard and Magda head for the mountains to try
and Sing Gyhard's past to rest. To make matters worse, Vree's brother
has yet to forgive her for saving Gyhard's life and is determined to
bring Gyhard--and therefore Vree--back to the Empire to pay the price
for treason.
