From international bestseller Glen Cook comes the ninth book in the chronicles of the Black Company - the series that forever changed the face of fantasy.

The world believes the Black Company is dead - and that's exactly how Sleepy wants it. As the Company's watchful Annalist and master strategist, she has fooled an entire empire into thinking the brotherhood is gone, even as she leads them in secret beneath Soulcatcher's very nose.

From the slums of Taglios to the edge of the glittering plain, Sleepy and the rest of the survivors wage a silent war of bold abductions, treacherous bargains, and dangerous journeys, all for one purpose: to reunite with their captured leaders who remain magically entombed underground.