A poison he can't cure. A promise he can't break. And an assassin who won't stay dead. Tanin Stormrush, one of the last roc riders, made a promise to his wife as she lay dying in his arms. With a baby roc named Zera in tow, he abandoned everything to fulfill it. At last he's found the killer, an assassin whose face changes at every turn. Only now, he learns that his wife's murder was but a single move in a larger game of power. A game where the next move could spell death for dozens of innocent people. And Zera, the only family he has left, has been poisoned. To save his roc, and the innocents caught in the crossfire, he must overcome his grief to locate the master behind the murderer. But in doing so, what retribution will he invite? And will he lose the one chance he has to put his wife's spirit to rest?