All is not well in the Letherii Empire.Rhulad Sengar, the Emperor of a Thousand Deaths, spirals into madness, surrounded by sycophants and agents of his Machiavellian chancellor, while the Letherii secret police conduct a campaign of terror against its own peopleThe Errant, once a farseeing god, is suddenly blind to the future. Conspiracies seethe throughout the palace, as the empire - driven by the corrupt and self-interested - edges ever-closer to all-out war with the neighbouring kingdoms.And then there''s the great Edur fleet that draws ever closer - a force that includes Karsa Orlong and Icarium Lifestealer - each destined to cross blades with the emperor himselfThat yet more blood is to be spilled is inevitable . . .Against this backdrop, a band of fugitives seek a way out of the empire. Amongst is Fear Sengar who is searching for the soul of Scabandari Bloodeye. His hope is that it might help halt the Tiste Edur and so save his brother, the emperorBut travelling with them is Sca