As the pyres of the Inquisition burned, the faith of Decimus Vespilo did not waiver. Holding to the tenants of his training he remained detached from that which he visited on others. Assigned to an Investigation he deemed beneath him he is caught up, not only in a rapidly growing movement but a conspiracy that could destabilise the teachings of the temple to which he devoted his life. Is the mysterious preacher the "Phoenix" a threat or the salvation he has been subconsciously seeking since consigning his own grandfather to the flames when just a child? As his ties to the movement grow stronger during his undercover investigation, will his affection for Histar sway his course? The emergence of a Shadowy mastermind casts a sinister foreboding to Decimuss mission as his every move is predicted and countered. Could it be the "Phoenix" is an unexpected ally to forestall the inhuman manoeuvring of those seeking to subvert the original message of the Empire? Manoeuvring that has been bastardising this message for years, so much so that the original is lost and incompatible. Decimus must decide between his beliefs and the Empire he has been trained to protect at all costs.