Mercenary, brawler, and adventurer Harald knows, to his misfortune, that he's good even at the wrong things. Sometimes he's so good it's almost amusing — but there's nothing to laugh about this time. One of those things is getting caught up in politics — something Harald usually avoids like the devil facing a cross. But when politics comes with a more-than-generous reward for an intriguing assignment, Harald's own curiosity betrays him. Moorish ambassadors don't vanish every day, and what would break another man's spirit, Harald sees as a challenge. Another of Harald's troublesome gifts is seeing dark premonitions come true. What begins as an exciting investigation in the crowded streets of summer Paris quickly spirals, within two sweltering, tense, and frantic days, into a nightmare of fire, pain, and impossible choices. Nothing comes free—and Harald must step over corpses to survive, because falling behind in a world changing faster than anyone realizes means only one thing: a quick death.