Harrowhark Nonagesimus, necromancer of Ninth House, did what she came to do. Harrow the Ninth emerged victorious to become a Lyctor to the Emperor of the Nine Houses, Ninth Saint to the Undying King. But victory hardly feels like it, trapped on a blasted space station, left without her cavalier. Forced into the fight for a doomed war to win yet another questionable prize, Harrow is discovering a struggle beyond what she has ever faced before. She has to train at the Emperor's Mithraeum with instructors she could do without. At her side is an untrustworthy rival and a sword that sickens her to hold. Worst of all, her mind seems to be fast disintegrating inside her skull. Oh, and someone wants her dead.