Humanity survives as a single Aztec kingdom behind seven walls.Beyond the walls roam monsters with the strength to slaughter armies. But the comfortable society within divides itself based on blood. Those with the blood to command magic also command authority.Huemac has spent his life split across that divide.Born into a marginalized class, Huemac is gifted with an extraordinary talent for blood magic. He enters the proving grounds determined to earn a place at the Kingdom's elite officer's academy. His performance is flawless, yet his rejection is immediate.Then the judges discover the identity of his best friend.Suddenly admitted into a world that was never meant for him, Huemac finds himself surrounded by the privileged children of powerful families, an unstable young king, and a celebrated warrior whose greatest achievement may have been a lie.As Huemac and his classmates struggle to become soldiers while surviving one another, questions surrounding the military multiply. Monsters speak with intelligence. Distinguished officers act with incompetence or possibly malice. And tragedies separated by centuries share odd coincidences.Is humanity's greatest threat lurking beyond the walls, or skulking within them?
