Seyonne was not always a slave. Once his people were the guardians of magic such as the land had never seen, protectors and defenders. But the Derzhi came, and enslaved them. Now, years of degradation and misery have blurred Seyonne’s memory, an sapped his strength. To his people, he is already dead. And to him, death is all that is left – until he finds hope in a most unlikely place . . . Sold once again, Seyonne is bought by Aleksander, the heir to the Derzhi Empire. His new master is cold, and heedlessly cruel. But within Aleksander, the seeds of greatness wait. All it would take is guidance from one such as Seyonne once was . . . But time is short, for demons have also noticed Aleksander – and what they cannot control, they will destroy . . . (from the back cover)