When your mother is dying, you'll do anything to save her. When you're a traitor's child, there's no telling what lengths you'll go to.
Cora and Flea's mother is dying. The only thing that will save her is the Solas-taistealai, which can be found in the far distant village of Swarkestone. It sounds like it should be a simple week's journey there and back again to retrieve it--whatever it is. Certainly Aortiz, trusted family friend and healer, wouldn't send them on a journey alone if it wasn't safe.
But then things start to go wrong. Cora learns that her gift of communicating with animals might be more complicated than she first believes. Along the journey Flea learns more about their father's life, and wonders again about the truth of his acts against the Wayfair Settlers so many years ago: did their father really kill seventeen people to save himself?
And why is Vastian--town bully and Flea's sworn enemy--following them as they travel through the woods and on through towns and cities? And why is he carrying a dagger with an emblem that exactly matches one given to Flea by Aortiz? Is anything what it seems to be?