Having offered sanctuary to the soul of the man who stole her brother’s body, Vree heads north to Shkoder with two kigh struggling to co-exist in a single body. Although the odds aren’t in their favour, there’s a chance, a small chance, the Bards can find Gyhard a body of his own without anyone else having to die. But Vree was an assassin trained to kill on command, Gyhard has chosen to kill again and again on a quest for immortality, and the Bards aren’t certain which of them is the more dangerous. No one, from the guard on the Citadel gate to the King himself, wants them anywhere near the single Healer who can Sing the Fifth Kigh.

No one except Magda, the Healer, whose heritage has taught her that things are not always as they seem.

In the end, Bardic suspicion becomes the least of Vree’s problems. The dead walk in the mountains of Shkoder, kigh confined in rotting corpses, and Gyhard’s past returned to haunt them. Hunted by the Bards and the Healer’s family, Vree, Gyhard and Magda head for the mountains to try and Sing Gyhard’s past to rest. To make matters worse, Vree’s brother has yet to forgive her for saving Gyhard’s life and is determined to bring Gyhard—and therefore Vree—back to the Empire to pay the price for treason.

Tanya Huff may have left Nova Scotia at three, and has lived most of her life since in Ontario, but she still considers herself a Maritimer. On the way to the idyllic rural existence she shares with her partner Fiona Patton, six cats, and a chihuahua, she acquired a degree in Radio and Television Arts from Ryerson Polytechnic—an education she was happy to finally use while writing her recent Smoke novels. Of her previous twenty-three books, the five—Blood Price, Blood Trail, Blood Lines, Blood Pact, Blood Debt—featuring Henry Fitzroy, bastard son of Henry VIII, romance writer, and vampire are among the most popular.

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Nicol is a seasoned audiobook narrator and actor, with years of experience in both classical and contemporary theatre, as well as award-winning independent film. She is passionate about storytelling, boxing, and making her grandmother's marinara sauce. Home is where the book and microphone are....

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