The mercenary Garruth has been so long acquainted with war’s bloody song that he is far more comfortable on the battlefield than he ever was in peaceful, civilian life. Now he is trapped in a bitter siege of the richest city in the world, while searching for answers to the questions which haunt him: why is he still alive, and how can he make it stop? Yet not even his years of experience could have predicted how terrible and bloody the battle would become; and as months turn into years, and the opposing armies dwindle with every costly assault on the city’s walls, he must decide whether to risk Albyand’s security on a massive assault, or allow the siege to go on for another decade.

No matter the end, Garruth can be sure only that there will be more battles waged, more blood spilt, more lives lost. Which, for the mercenary, means more coin in his pocket.