If the enemies of your enemies are still your enemies, how do you know who your friends are? Smart-mouthed Keane and feared-warrior Sarah escape the mercenaries of Wallace's Company to start somewhere fresh, where no one is trying to kill them. Keane steals the company's wages in return for his attempted murder, and Sarah agrees to the plan. Unfortunately, Keane doesn't have one. On the run from the vengeful lord marshal and his wicked mercenary cutthroats, Sarah and Keane hop from danger to disaster. One con too many lands the friends between the King's Swords, who are notoriously hostile toward mercenaries, and Wallace's Company, who are notoriously hostile toward thieves who steal their pay. What began as a good running away becomes a trap between a rock and a hard place. Keane must plot a way out of this mess and keep them both alive, even if that means impersonating a dead royal embroiled in an arranged marriage. Now entangled in intrigue far beyond their paygrade, Keane and Sarah must choose a side or risk the collapse of an entire kingdom.