EVERY EMPIRE DEMANDS REVOLUTION. Touraine is a soldier. Stolen as a child and raised to kill and die for the empire, her only loyalty is to her fellow conscripts. But now, her company has been sent back to her homeland to stop a rebellion, and the ties of blood may be stronger than she thought. Luca needs a turncoat. Someone desperate enough to tiptoe the bayonet’s edge between treason and orders. Someone who can sway the rebels toward peace, while Luca focuses on what really matters: getting her uncle off her throne. Through assassinations and massacres, in bedrooms and war rooms, Touraine and Luca will haggle over the price of a nation. But some things aren’t for sale. In order to expand their power base, the forces of the Balladairan empire are not averse to subjugating an entire culture. In the country of Qazāl, they have occupied the capital city of El-Wast. Using military oppression, the threat of violent retribution and political manoeuvring, the Balladairans control every aspect of life. The natives of El-Wast are viewed with distrust or outright hostility. Touraine was stolen away from Qazāl as a small child. She has been raised to fight and, if necessary,…