Return of the shadow

Heroes Seregil and Alek have just completed their most treacherous mission and are returning to their double life as debauched noblemen and master spies. But in a world teeming with enemies and sorcerers, fate has other plans for them… After their victory in Aurënen, Alek and Seregil return home to Rhíminee. With most of their allies dead or in exile, however, settling down proves difficult. Hoping for a distraction, they accept a task that will take them back to Seregil's birthplace. But along the way, they are kidnapped, separated, and sold into slavery. Seregil is kept alive only by the hope that Alek is still breathing. Alek's strange new master, however, doesn't want his life – he wants his blood. Alek's unique lineage is the key to obtaining a rare treasure, but only through a torturous process that will test his body and soul. This ordeal unwittingly drags both him and Seregil into a realm of alchemists and madmen, entangling them with a mysterious creature who may hold their entire fate in its inhuman hands… But will it be their saviour, or a murderous monster?