Alone and listening to the moaning of the Dark City dying around her, Annah wants to find her way back home, to her sister and family and their village in the Forest of Hands and Teeth.

"Every seven years, the people of Three Graces send a sacrifice to the woods. The death of their 'best boy' ensures seven years free from disease, blight, and pain. But this year, the Slaughter Moon has risen early, and three, not one, will run into the forest as a sacrifice"--

When Sirscha Ashwyn restores her best friend Saengo to life, Sirscha is drawn into the domain of the Spider King and events surrounding the Dead Wood. After years of training to become the queen's next royal spy, Sirscha Ashwyn's plans are derailed when shamans attack and kill her best friend Saengo. Then Sirscha, somehow, restores Saengo to life. Unveiled as the first soulguide in living memory, Sirscha is summoned to the domain of the Spider King....