The second book in the Broken Empire series Lawrence takes his young anti-hero one step closer to his grand ambition To reach greatness you must step on bodies & many brothers lie trodden in my wake I've walked from pawn to player & I'll win this game of ours though the cost of it may drown the world in blood The land burns with the fires of a hundred battles as lords & petty kings fight for the Broken Empire The long road to avenge the slaughter of his mother & brother has shown Prince Honorous Jorg Ancrath the hidden hands behind this endless war He saw the game & vowed to sweep the board First though he must gather his own pieces learn the rules of play & discover how to break them A six nation army twenty thousand strong marches toward Jorg's gates led by a champion beloved of the people Every decent man prays this shining hero will unite the empire & heal its wounds Every omen says he will Every good king knows to bend the knee in the face of overwhelming odds if only to save their people & their lands But King Jorg is not a good king Faced by an enemy many times his strength Jorg knows that he cannot win a fair fight But playing fair was never part of Jorg's game plan