Nikolai Lantsov has a knack for getting the impossible. Nobody knows what he went through during his country's bloody civil war and he wants to keep it that way. With enemies at his weakened borders, he must find a way to fill Ravka's coffers, forge new alliances, and stop a growing threat to the Grisha Army. The dark magic that runs through his veins grows stronger every day and could destroy everything he has accomplished. With the help of a young monk and a legendary Grisha general, Nikolai will travel to parts of Ravka where a primal form of magic survives that could put an end to the horrible legacy that lives inside of him.