Lọ́rẹ has fiery blades and ice in her veins. One of these is a secret that will get her killed. In the land of Oru, everyone is born with agbára—the ability to summon energy from the sun. Everyone, that is, except Lọ́rẹ. She keeps this secret close to her heart, knowing her mother was killed for the same reason.
When the gods declare Lọ́rẹ’s best friend, Alawani, a priest of the holy order. He will be stripped of his agbára in a trial that has never yielded more than two survivors each time the gods call. Unwilling to risk his life for the gods that cursed her, Lọ́rẹ breaks into the temple. In a desperate act to channel agbára and save him, something else comes forth from her hands—a destructive shadow magic that draws on the energy of everyone and everything around her.
She and Alawani escape, but not before she catches the attention of the Holy Order. While on the run, Lọ́rẹ discovers her true identity and learns that Alawani’s grandfather, the Holy Order’s leader, murdered her mother. He will stop at nothing to ensure that Lọ́rẹ is the last of her kind. Lọ́rẹ finds herself choosing between Alawani and the magic within her.