Book excerpt: The Church of the Righteous Truth stretches ever outward across Alytheia. Jealous defenders of the Goddess’s magic, the Church sees all, controls all: trade, military, the ancient arts of Wielding and Cognation—even life and death. Now, as the Church’s Premiero Irmao prepares to seize yet more power, the Goddess’s light fades darker still... But there is hope. Four forgotten outcasts—Al-Dreban, a young and disillusioned priest; Solatta, a healer haunted by her tragic past; Sentenza, an old colonel left for dead; and Braga, last survivor of his platoon—unknowingly hold the fate of Alytheia in their hands. As each stumbles deeper into a web of conspiracy and betrayal, their destinies will entwine, leading them inexorably toward revolution, sacrifice, and—perhaps—redemption.