WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE, WHO NEEDS ENEMIES?

Private Kaylin Neya thought her home couldn’t possibly get more crowded. But when one of her house­mates, Annarion, decides to under­take the Barrani Test of Name, his friends refuse to let him face his task alone — and Kaylin’s sentient home, Helen, is the only struc­ture capable of shielding the rest of Elantra from the magni­tude of their power.

Annarion and Mandoran almost caused the destruc­tion of the High Halls once already. Add nine of their closest friends, and the danger is astro­nom­i­cally higher — espe­cially since these guests are at the heart of a polit­ical firestorm. Impris­oned almost a millen­nium ago, their recent freedom threatens the ruler­ship of several promi­nent Barrani fami­lies, and the machi­na­tions of those Lords make it almost impos­sible to tell friend from foe.

As polit­ical tensions ramp up, the shadows beneath the High Halls are seeking a freedom that has never been possible before. Kaylin must find a way to keep those shadows from escaping, or that freedom will destroy her city, the empire and every­thing she holds dear.