The Cortii are mercenaries, for hire to anyone who can afford their services. Every government uses them; no single government can destroy them. After a decade in the Cortii, her independence is one of the few things mercenary commander Khyria Ilan still values, but when she finds herself caught in the coils of an alien prophecy, independence is only one of the stakes in the game. Confronting the powerful mental adepts of the Elemental Order is a risk. Unfortunately, they're the only ones with answers—and the only ones who may be able to give Khyria back control of her own mind.