‘ Tahir spins a captivating heart-pounding fantasy’ Us Weekly The sequel to the explosive New York Times bestselling debut AN EMBER IN THE ASHES that’s captivated readers worldwide After the events of the Fourth Trial Martial soldiers hunt Elias & Laia as they flee the city of Serra Laia & Elias are determined to break into the Empire’s most secure & dangerous prison to save Laia’s brother even if for Elias it means giving up his last chance at freedom They will have to fight every step of the way to outsmart their enemies the bloodthirsty Emperor Marcus the merciless Commandant the sadistic Warden of Kauf & most heartbreaking of all Helene&8213; Elias’s former friend & the Empire’s newest Blood Shrike Bound to Marcus’s will Helene faces a torturous mission of her own&8213;one that might destroy her find the traitor Elias Veturius & the Scholar slave who helped him escape & kill them both In 2015 one book emerged as the most highly acclaimed fantasy debut Now the sequel will set the world on fire