The gripping sequel to Children of Alpheios, the Firebird Book Award winner. Alina DeHerte thought she had escaped Alpheios, the genetically engineered city on planet Eamine. After rescuing her son from its corrupt rulers, she built a fresh life with a new fiancé in a remote sanctuary. But when word of her mother's grave illness reaches her, Alina's fragile peace shatters. Returning to Alpheios means Alina must navigate rising threats in an unpredictable city. In pursuit of dominance, the city's power brokers are jeopardizing their citizens' lives. Alina must ally with a man she has long avoided-a Guardian officer who fathered her son. Both have a shared stake in the city's uncertain future. If Alina wants her mother to survive, she must unravel the city's secrets and grapple with her conflicted past. Deep winter is upon them, and Alpheios is on the brink of explosive change.