Cloistered in the Black Keep with only her father for company, Cara is an unwitting prisoner bound by chains of ignorance and lies rather than iron until she meets a captured mercenary in her father's dungeon. He kindles within her a spark of compassion she never knew she had and lends her an unfamiliar strength. But, the mercenary is slated to die, sacrificed to her father's magic like all the others. Only this time, Cara can't turn a blind eye. Unable to endure her father's cruelty any longer, she vows to help the mercenary escape. Now, as they flee to a world she's only dreamed of, she finds defiance has a steep price. Her very existence endangers everyone she has come to care about. Who is she that her father refuses to let her go? To uncover the secret of her past, she must unravel the mystery of her dreams and claim the heritage of her own magical blood-before her father claims her as the last sacrifice.