Siora has been hiding from her background and her gift for much longer than she cares to admit. She has heard the cries of the dead as an otherworldly predator chases the dead amid the fertile killing fields of the crumbling Krael Empire because she was born with the capacity to see and communicate with ghosts. With each soul it ingests, the creature's strength and territory expand, but Siora is busy with her own problems?specifically, an assassin who has sworn an oath of vengeance against her. Formerly the hated empress' right-hand man, Gharek of Cabast is now a wanted fugitive. Siora is the target of Gharek's pursuit for viscerally personal reasons, but he has no idea what she'll do when he does locate her.