The barrier is broken. The Heir of Wraithbane returns.

Vayne returns to his fallen kingdom of Wraithbane with Lorraine and the Valet on his heels. Seeking an heirloom ring that contains one of the dreaded Disruptors, Vayne gets more than he bargained for when he discovers that members of his old order are still alive and planning on reclaiming their nation.

Will Vayne accept his heritage, or is he beyond redemption?On a similar journey to find the Disruptor, Novus and Leiyara forge an unlikely alliance as they pass through the ruins of Novus' home. With her special gifts, Leiyara attempts to break the Dark Magus Darwin's hold over Novus, but dangers beyond her reckoning await them in the fallen kingdom, not least of which is Novus herself.

Halfway across the world, Esther Triad, now reinstated into her old order, is thrust into a new adventure when Viaka Shadowflame -- the leader of her mortal enemy, the Cythraul -- appears with a dubious proposition: negotiating a ceasefire with the Peacekeepers' long-time foe. Together with the Shadowmancer Ashe and the daemon Penelope, Esther ventures behind enemy lines to the heart of hostile territory.

What dangers await her in the blasted war-torn lands to the north? And can she put her own prejudice aside for the good of the world?New bonds are forged while old ones are tested, and each of our cast of characters must face their own inner selves to overcome the mounting threats they each face, both from without and within, in this Cordite Confessional. .