Three armies are converging on the isolated town of Ballot’s Keep, and a harsh, icy winter is just around the corner. Xeras and his infant dragon are heading out of town, but not to escape. It was his meddling that caused all this trouble for his lover, Carly, and for the town. And it’s his job to set it right. Or, as his companion ghost likes to remind him, get killed trying. Carly, the duke of Ballot’s Keep, would like nothing better than to protect his troubled, magic-tainted lover. But what dragon magic has wrought, dragon magic must repair—and Xeras insists on facing the consequences of his actions. Alone. The fate of thousands of innocent people rides on Xeras’s talent for causing trouble—only this time, in turning their enemies against each other. But his need for secrecy could be too much of a betrayal for Carly to forgive…