Like it or not, Rune owes a debt to the Merlady, the most powerful being for hundreds of miles. Twice a year, he is bound by an oath to do her bidding. Now his debt has come due, and the price is steep. Too steep.Keeping his oath means destroying the life of an innocent. Rune knows all about destroying lives; he's destroyed dozens. But as an uneasy resident of the mortal realm, he has tried to put all that behind him. So he concocts a plan to save the life while still upholding the Merlady's twisted honor. Now he just has to track down an immortal killer out for bloody vengeance and retrieve an enchanted amulet. If not, a little boy will lose a part of his soul-and so, perhaps, will Rune.Sometimes plans go wrong, but they've never gone this wrong.