It's a few months since Kellen left the Jan'Tep people. Now aged 16, Kellen is an outlaw, relying on his wits to keep him alive in the land of the Seven Sands. He misses home, he misses family and more than anything, he misses Nephenia, who he once loved. Then he meets Seneira, a blindfolded girl who isn't blind, and who carries a secret that's all too familiar to Kellen. Kellen and Ferius resolve to help - but the stakes are far higher than they realise. A shadowblack plague is taking hold - and Kellan can't help but suspect that his own people may be behind it.