In the depths of the trackless desert, a dark and ancient magic is waiting...
The Kingdom of Vordan has ruled the desert nation of Khandar for more than a century. Now a deadly cult has seized power, driving the beleaguered Vordanai garrison to the edge of destruction. Their long-awaited aid from the homeland includes something they never expected: Colonel Janus bet Vhalnich, a commander whose skill and ambition might reshape the world.
Captain Marcus d’Ivoire, a long-serving veteran whose hopes of a quiet posting have been shattered by the rebellion, becomes the new colonel’s right-hand man. Winter Ihernglass, having disguised herself as a man to join the ranks and escape her past, finds promotion and unwelcome authority thrust upon her.
As Janus leads the army to victory, they discover his war is not what it seems. A legendary artefact, the Thousand Names, is buried under the sands of Khandar, and Janus will stop at nothing to retrieve it. Opposing him are the Priests of the Black, thought to be little more than legends, and their supernatural assassins, the Penitent Damned.
Across the sea, chaos spreads to the capital of Vordan itself. The King is dying, and his daughter is thought to be a pawn in the political game of the city’s elite. But Princess Raesinia Orboan has secrets of her own, and an iron determination to take control of her own destiny.
War spreads across the continent like wildfire. But behind the marching soldiers and the rumble of cannon, another campaign is fought in the shadows, as Janus and the Thousand Names upset the supernatural balance of power once and for all. Marcus, Winter, and Raesinia are caught in the storm. And none of them are certain how far the mysterious colonel can be trusted...