Caldason befriends orphan Kutch Pirathon, a young sorcerer’s apprentice shocked by Reeth’s antipathy towards the magic his culture sees as perfectly normal. The pair encounter radical politician Dulian Karr, who proves to be one of the leading lights in the Resistance. Karr suggests that Covenant, an outlaw order of unlicensed magicians, might have the knowledge to lift the ills plaguing Caldason. His offer to put him in touch with Covenant leads to Reeth and Kutch ultimately joining with the insurgents.

Serrah Ardacris, employed by the notorious Council for Internal Security, captains what is essentially a government death squad targeting bandit gangs in Gath Tampoor’s capital. When the reckless son of an important official dies on her watch, Serrah is blamed and pressured to confess. And her superiors are not above using the pain of the loss of Serrah’s daughter, Eithne, to get what they want. Eithne died at just fifteen from an overdose of ramp, a powerful, illegal narcotic. On the point of breaking, Serrah is rescued by a Resistance cell, and manages to escape to Bhealfa.

For all their might, the empires do not rule quite everywhere. The barbarous northern wastes are largely untouched by them. A dominion of savagery and tribal leaders, the wastes have recently thrown up a particularly powerful warlord. Zerreiss, known to his followers as the Man Who Fell From the Sun, possesses a strange power that aids his conquest of increasing tracts of land.

Qalochian Tanalvah Lahn, a state-certified prostitute, has worked in the brothels of Rintarah all her life. But when defending herself against a client who murdered her best friend, Tanalvah unwittingly kills the man. Fearing retribution, she gathers her friend’s two young children and flees to Bhealfa. Once there, they are aided by pacifist Kinsel Rukanis, a celebrated classical singer who supports the Resistance. They in turn meet Serrah, who defends them against government agents, killing several in the process. Kinsel introduces Tanalvah and Serrah to the Resistance.