For centuries, Fire Walkers have been locked away in temples for the sin of being born with fire magic in their veins. At last, they are free. But when a rogue priest uses his fire magic to murder a king and set the nation on a path to war, the ruthless Prince Ravel sees his opportunity to seize the throne and rid his kingdom of Fire Walkers forever. Mina Hawker, the famed Sand Dancer who disguised herself as a man to win freedom for the Fire Walkers, is ordered to personally lead her people to the slaughter on the frontlines of war. Instead, she races across the kingdom to unmask a conspiracy to tear apart three great nations??and blame Fire Walkers for the chaos. When she discovers a way to prevent war, it just might save Fire Walkers everywhere. But the cost is the end of all fire magic. Now, Mina must decide how much of her soul??and the soul of her people??is too much to sacrifice to stop the violence.