As a homeless orphan, shunned for having the gift, Rachael knows how to survive. The visions of people dying are only hers to see. The shadows are her safety. When Cephy comes into her life, having a friend—a friend as feared by the villagers as Rachael—seems too good to be true.And it is. Her visions are worse since Cephy came along, and Rachael’s gut feeling urges her to walk the other way. … other way. Alone.
When Cephy burns down her old home, the villagers respond with violence: they call on the White Guard to take Rachael and Cephy away for execution. Together they flee into a world they know nothing about. In the unknown awaits a Mist Woman, a prophecy, and a young rebel who sounds sincere –
but in Rachael’s experience, no one ever is. And how can she trust him when he believes in an ancient prophecy that seems to refer to her, and asks her to commit regicide so that people with the gift can be free?
Suddenly the cold shadows of Blackrock’s winter don’t seem so bad, and Rachael is torn between finally having food and warm shelter, and surviving on her own as she always has. The Sparrows—fighters of the resistance—believe in her because the prophecy names her. But can she be the leader they need when she can’t control her own magic?
Rachael knows the struggles the gifted endure all too well. Perhaps it’s time she stopped hiding, and fought back.
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