Torren Thistle's brother Caine won the games and made it home safely, but the reaping refused to stop haunting their family. Having a victor as your brother doesn't save you from getting picked, and when Caine couldn't save Torren, it was evident he'd have to save himself. Going in with Johanna Mason, he expected to have no allies, but a boy from District Four changed the trajectory of the entire game. Their alliance is so close it's frowned upon by the capitol and the boys are harrowingly reminded only one can go home. ...

Dain is a humble mercenary with a harrowing past. All he knows is that his father murdered his mother before taking his own life. Content with the catastrophe after many years, without his Lordship, Dain spends his time travelling around and sticking to the shadows, taking on jobs to assist those who need it most. When Lord Marcus Fletching's son goes missing at the hands of a dangerous mountain clan, Dain is sent personally to retrieve him. Throughout the tale, Dain meets a cast of unusual characters throughout the Kingdom of Vaulken who teach him minor details about his past as he pieces together the puzzle that is the curse hounding his fate.