In the vast crystalline deserts of Earth's last continent life is violent and short. Those who survive do so by preying on one another in a brutal cycle that yields only diminishing returns. Krýl, a wanderer and mercenary, is no exception. The only thing that separates him from a thousand others―the insatiable eukaryotic armor that has bound its life to his. Hired by Krýl as a guide and translator, the former slave girl Mezka finds herself suddenly thrust into a world of hunter and hunted, predator and prey. After years of scratching out a living on the ragged edge of poverty, Mezka's life now hangs in the balance as she accompanies Krýl deep into the barbaric and sun-scorched lands of the Kommhadi. Always seeming to be one step behind their quarry, Mezka and Krýl run a gauntlet of hostile deserts, savage wildlife, and craven bounty hunters intent on stealing their prize. What awaits them in the city of Dhulkant, however, is far more deadly than anything they have encountered before.
