A prince betrayed. A region divided. A prophecy foretelling an age of darkness. Darius Rarkez stood on the brink of joining the elite Crimson Guard when treachery struck. Exiled and disgraced, he carved a new life amidst a band of thieves in a foreign land, trading the sword for the art of stealing. For ten bitter years, he endures in the shadows, his heart set on one goal: escape. However, such freedom demands gold. So, when his guild's most daring raid promises to deliver it, Darius seeks guidance from a reclusive seer whose visions have never been wrong. What he receives is far more than mere foresight: war approaches, devastation follows, and something terrible and ancient has returned to claim what was lost. Marked by the sky gods, Darius faces an impossible choice: abandon the kingdom that betrayed him, condemning countless innocents to death, or stand as its reluctant saviour. The fate of Vlencia—and the realm—rests on his shoulders. Will he rise, or will bitterness prevail? (Book #1 of The Divided Region, a gritty, epic low fantasy series.)