Rhan knows what it means to bear the daemon's visible mark. The Empire claimed and culled his childhood friend, and he has never forgiven the government for its callousness. When Rhan is assigned to help Imperial soldiers find a dangerous heretic, he is hard-pressed to keep his opinions-and his invisible advantages-to himself.Surprisingly, one of the young guides in the hunt, Aerik Rodan, shares some of Rhan's ideas. As the journey brings their minds closer, it also ignites the passion between them. But any thoughts of happiness are threatened as the hunt for one heretic soon leads them to the source of the heresy and a truth about their world that could bring chaos and war upon them all.