After being forced into the khan's deadly race across the taiga, Dashi swore she'd never be anyone's pawn again. Yet she finds herself imprisoned in a dank cell beneath the khan's fortress, forced once more into the dangerous dance of doing the khan's bidding while trying to save herself and her sister, Idree. The khan is hellbent on finding the Wellspring, a sacred site from Purek lore thought to hold immense power. Now, Dashi is tasked with leading the khan safely past the denizens of the taiga and into the graveyard of an ancient civilization. And they won't be traveling alone. The khan will be surrounded by his monstrous heralds-human-animal horrors created by the golden needle's magic-and his new consul, who also happens to be Dashi's oldest enemy. Dashi is certain there's more to the Wellspring than the khan's consul is letting on, but with her own life and her sister's hanging in the balance, she'll have to tread carefully. If she can unravel the mysteries of the Wellspring and the consul's true motives fast enough, she might just earn her freedom. If she can't, the world will never be the same.