Teotl has been a loyal servant of the Priestess for forty years. Endowed with the incredible ability to absorb force and redirect it, she is nearly invincible, a dangerous enemy feared throughout the League of Magi. Her last mission ended in failure, when she could not stop the Twins from creating their newest Familiar, the cannibal spirit of winter, Coldheart. It has been three years since, and Teotl has been an outcast in her own organization.

Now the Priestess has a new assignment: assassinate Wei Lai, Apprentice to the Butterfly. It should be a simple task, and Teotl looks forward to once again being accepted by the Priestess. Something goes wrong almost immediately when a mysterious explosion kills all of Teotl’s men and takes away her incredible power. Deep in enemy territory, powerless, alone, and hunted by the sleepless undead minions of the Butterfly, Teotl is thrown into the most desperate fight of her long life.