After the events of the Fourth Trial, Martial soldiers hunt the two fugitives as they flee the city of Serra and undertake a perilous journey through the heart of the Empire. Laia is determined to break into Kaufthe Empires most secure and dangerous prisonto save her brother, who is the key to the Scholars' survival. And Elias is determined to help Laia succeed, even if it means giving up his last chance at freedom. But dark forces, human and otherworldly, work against Laia and Elias. The pair must fight every step of the way to outsmart their enemies: the bloodthirsty Emperor Marcus, the merciless Commandant, the sadistic Warden of Kauf, and, most heartbreaking of all, HeleneEliass former friend and the Empires newest Blood Shrike. Bound to Marcus's will, Helene faces a torturous mission of her ownone that might destroy her: find the traitor Elias Veturius and the Scholar slave who helped him escape...and kill them both. Some end damage / remainder mark