The city of Ern is widely regarded as the capital of the entire world, and for good reason. It is a place where any dream can come true... or be smashed to pieces against the harsh realities of the city’s laws and customs. Arnaeus finally makes it to the heart of the empire, but instead of the answers he has been seeking he finds only new, harder questions.
In this city where anything can be bought or sold, Arnaeus finds that his old methods no longer suffice, and he is forced to master new weapons just to survive: the language of diplomacy, the art of commerce and the ability to think several moves ahead. Fate brings him together with a mysterious warrior from his past, and together they decide to risk everything by striking a bargain fraught with danger.