When the sky fractures above the kingdom of Emberfall and fire rains down from the heavens, young warden Alera Veyne feels something awaken beneath her skin--something ancient, forbidden, and hungry. The silver mark she has hidden all her life is no longer just a secret. It is a signal.
As strange creatures rise from the Deadlands and a fallen warrior arrives with warnings of a shattered relic powerful enough to reshape the world, Alera is pulled into a conflict older than her kingdom itself. Caught between a fiercely loyal captain who would defy the world to protect her and a mysterious stranger bound to a broken crown, she must confront a truth that could either save humanity... or end it.
Because the Crown is waking.
And it has chosen her.