(This is the second book in The Leyline War series.)

Rejecting his would-be destiny, Jak has left the Chateau to seek answers. The road to his bucolic childhood home is long, and it gives him time to brood on the question of his birth. Was he created to be a living weapon? If so, why didn't his father tell him the truth? Who is he, really?

With the tutelage of a former foe, a mysterious power begins to awaken inside him. Jak makes his way across the blasted lands of the Affiliation and learns of their darkest secret. He wishes to keep the peace and protect the innocent, but when love encroaches on duty, he discovers that this hero business is far more complicated than he ever expected it to be.

Meanwhile, Jak's greatest fears have come true: the Imperium's war machine is in motion. Karzt - "the hangman" - is conflicted. Despite his distaste for the magical Affiliation, his instincts tell him that something is not right. He begins to suspect that his eternal adversary, the demon, has sunk his claws deep into the West. Will Karzt serve his country unquestioningly, or will he give everything up in a mad dash for vengeance?