The Laya and Elias must save their lives.

After the events of the Fourth Trial, Arian soldiers chase the two fugitives as they escape from the city of Sera and embark on a dangerous journey into the heart of Europe. Laya is determined to secretly enter Kauf, the safest prison in the Empire, to save her brother, on whom the survival of the Wise depends. And Elias, in turn, is determined to help Laya succeed, even if it risks his last hope for freedom.

However, dark forces are against them. The two young people must prove smarter than their enemies: the bloodthirsty Emperor Marcus, the ruthless Guardian of Kauf, and Helen, Elias's former friend and the new blood of the Empire.

Trapped in Marcus's will, Helen faces her own torturous mission, which can destroy her: to find the traitor Elias Veturius and the slave who helped him escape... and to kill them both.