Esaling knows what she is good for: killing for her aunt, queen of the Skylands. When her mother died, she took the identity of Esaling's father to her grave. Esa only knows that he cannot be from the Skylands, his legacy clear in the colour of her skin and eyes. She doesn't care to know anymore - she leads a comfortable life in the palace with her friends, Second Princess Lilinke and Lady Nadalin, and that is enough. But when she attracts the wrong sort of attention, she is sent away from the palace and into unexpected danger. She and Lily have stumbled upon a plot that threatens the Skylands and the world they know. The only people they can trust is each other, and the young army captain. Esaling knows what she is good for, and she intends to use it to protect the world she loves.