A man who must face his inner demon. A woman whose infection is spreading. Their choices will dictate the course of their lives, for good or ill.Ninthalas is tormented by the truth: the Black Assailant is none other than his long lost first love, and she seeks to end his life. Yet that isn't his only problem. The inner demon he's suppressed for a decade, a shadow of himself, has resurfaced, and it seeks to consume his sanity. As he continues his journey with Yosef, he struggles to live with the shadow's taunting while trying to keep ahead of the woman who hunts him. Will he survive?Kírin hasn't given up on her mission to kill the man she loves to seal her bond with her possessor. Yet that isn't the only thing on her mind. An ancient skill of shapeshifting earth is beginning to awaken in Yosef. If she can kidnap the boy, she could train him and harness that unique skill. But she is running out of time. Thanks to the curse placed on Ehnthatúlen, the infection Morkhen inflicted upon her spreads with every passing day. Can she fulfill her mission before the infection consumes her?