Gods are hard to beat, even dead ones.

Victory!

Hard-fought, and a close thing, but victory all the same. But why did William feel so horrible about it all?

He had Amder back to the world. He, William Reis, was made the new forgemaster of Amder by the God himself. Valnijz’s return ended, and even the near-immortal High Priest Zalkiniv is gone. The Valni were almost totally decimated, assuring safe passage for years to come.

But the cost was high. Scores of innocent Reachers dead to the Valni. And Duncan Reis, William's last family, was dead. Duncan was the one who stopped the blood god, trading his own life for that feat. Given a new task by the God Amder, William and his friends embark to set things in order, joined by Captain Vin Tolin, an old soldier and now de facto protector of the newly minted Forgemaster William.

Soon, Will discovers that not all is as he believed, and Duncan may yet still live. Dropping everything, William sets out to save his cousin one last time. Things are not always as they appear, however. For, secrets abound in this group of friends. One secret will hurt the heart, one will terrify them, and one could undo everything they have worked and sacrificed for.

From the dark depths of the world of Alos, to the last refuge of true magic, William and his allies will scour the world for the truth. It just may not be the truth they want to find.

The last act of the Gods' fall is still to come, and the hidden past will remake everything.