High Ambassador Akira Muro has shielded herself from personal connections her whole life. Due to her immense power, her own people feared her. Now, she is a dynamic warrior and diplomat on her final mission. Akira must face the deadly Mors, also known as the Black Death, and to do so, she is willing to risk everything. Her mission takes Akira and her team to the mountain pass guarded by the Protectorate of Mountain Shadows. There, she encounters the man who abandoned her for the protectorate: Kilronan. Akira has always guarded her heart as desperately as she guards the elemental forces she commands. Kilronan threatens her self-made shields. In order to protect her country, Akira accepts an alliance with Kilronan. Together, they will fight the dark invaders. First, Akira must learn to fight together with a new breed of warrior, and she must also learn to trust. As the Black Death nears, will Akira choose duty or the emotional, human life she has always denied?