When Zhara survives her first Spirit Raid she escapes into the forest unprepared for the tyranny she may meet. In desparation she makes a deal with the rumored murderous Phantom to help retrieve stolen items and in return discover what the fate of the family she lost in the Raid. But when one of the objects hidden in the Phantom treasury strikes familiarity within her, both her heart and soul are on the line. This is Phelãn's first hunt and it will be his last. With training of both a Raavek Chaser and a Maghei Guard, a lurking hermit tracks him down and offers him freedom in return for an apprenticeship as his successor. But the shard of icy glass he must protect stirs a storm of curiosity and terror in his heart, and it just might be enough to end the bargain for his soul.