A quest to survive. No magic. No mythical creatures. No shortcuts.A father murdered, a kingdom divided, and a boy with nothing left to lose. When Duke Jacoby launches a surprise attack on the northern territories, Barney watches a black-fletched arrow claim his father's life. Left for dead in a drainage ditch, he survives only through luck and the stubborn care of strangers. But survival is just the beginning. Drawn into a web of siege warfare and royal intrigue, Barney joins forces with Lucy, a healer wise beyond her years; Shine, whose courage masks a breaking heart; and Andre, a young man torn between love and self-preservation. What begins as a struggle to reunite with family becomes something far more dangerous when the companions discover they hold the key to the kingdom's future. Pursued by relentless hunters and haunted by impossible choices, they must cross enemy lines and learn that true loyalty is forged not in comfort, but in fire.