Xylos bleeds magic. And the heart of its darkness is about to awaken. Princess Thia and Scribe Seneset barely averted catastrophe, shattering Setep's ritual and containing the Shadow Awakening. But victory in the Chamber of the Heart was a lie. The Regent is dead, Xylos is fractured, and whispers of madness echo through the streets. The ancient threat is not vanquished, merely slumbering, and the Oracle's chilling prophecy foretells its return. Now, armed with a fragmented map and desperate hope, Thia, Seneset, and the cynical Khepra must embark on a perilous quest into the uncharted heart of Xylos. For in a lost city, a hidden temple, a forgotten gateway, lies the key to either salvation or utter annihilation. The Shadow returns. And Book Two of the The Old Gods series plunges into a mythic battle for the soul of a kingdom.