In the kingdom of Sempera, time is currencyÑextracted from blood, bound to iron, and consumed to add time to oneÕs own lifespan. The rich aristocracy, like the Gerlings, tax the poor to the hilt, extending their own lives by centuries.
No one resents the Gerlings more than Jules Ember. A decade ago, she and her father were servants at Everless, the GerlingsÕ palatial estate, until a fateful accident forced them to flee in the dead of night.
