Merciless

Merciless continues the story begun in Vesselless. Nizzara has given up her soul to save Dagen, but a fresh betrayal by someone she trusted delivers her into the hands of Queen Nexia, her father's greatest enemy. Stripped of her magic and cut off from any hope of rescue, she is held in a kingdom where Dagen would never think to search. Her only chance is a magical bargain with the very person who sold her out. That bond binds her to the traitor's commands, and the traitor's true intentions remain a mystery. Meanwhile, the discoveries Nizzara makes about Dagen leave her reluctant to go home.

In Zarr, Lo carries heavy guilt over what Nizzara gave up. As she searches for ancient vessel rings that could protect her brother from growing danger, Dagen's feelings for Nizzara seem to freeze over, and Lo suspects an unseen influence at work. Her past soon catches up with her at the castle gates. A powerful potion-maker arrives to claim a life debt that Lo has owed for years, and the price is Dagen's hand in marriage to another woman. Lo must decide whether to keep her word and break her brother's heart, or refuse and risk her own ruin.