New York Times bestselling author Maria V Snyder brings her Chronicles of Ixia series to its exhilarating conclusion Despite the odds Yelena & Valek have forged an irrevocable bond-and a family-that transcends borders Now when their two homelands stand on the brink of war they must fight with magic & cunning to thwart an Ixian plot to invade Sitia Yelena seeks to break the hold of the insidious Theobroma that destroys a person's resistance to magical persuasion But the Cartel is determined to keep influential citizens & Sitian diplomats in thrall-and Yelena at bay With every bounty hunter after her Yelena is forced to make a dangerous deal With might & magic Valek peels back the layers of betrayal surrounding the Commander At its rotten core lies a powerful magicianand his latest discovery The fate of all rests upon two unlikely weapons One may turn the tide The other could spell the end of everything