All her life, Arteura has been raised in the cruel, oppressive culture of the Empire of Brynslæd. A culture based on fear and rAll her life, Arteura has been raised in the cruel, oppressive culture of the Empire of Brynslæd. A culture based on fear and ritual. A culture that took her brother Tristan's life.Five years have passed since his death, and though she is a young woman with a tainted family name, she is also a warrior at heart, and the possessor of an ancient, forbidden magic called Sigquaya. After all this time, how can she hide who she truly is? And, should she?Ultimately, she must choose her path of destiny, even at the risk of her abilities becoming known to the Empire, and especially to the Elder of the Temple-a man with many secrets of his own.Arteura's brother Tristan was the firstborn of the Denaeus family, and just a boy when he was offered as a sacrifice to Brynewielm-the god of fire and harvest. Yet, he survives; secretly raised by a colony of survivors in the hidden community of Cierra. Even so, he still yearns to return to his family in Brynslæd. And like his sister, he struggles with the choices thrust upon him as he faces the treacherous journey back through the same passages that brought him to Cierra. But in doing so, he threatens the discovery and certain death of the very people who once saved him.Family bonds, friendship, and human endurance are all tested in this coming of age tale set against the backdrop of gods and monsters, fear and suspicion, discovery and magic, in this, the first book of The Cierran Series.