Forthweg has been lost to the Algarvian and the Unkerlanter soldiers. Not satisfied to share the plundered Forthweg, Algarve invades Unkerlant and begins its slow push toward the Unkerlanter capital during the country's harsh winter. Away from the front, Algarvian soldiers corral Kaunians to send them west, toward Unkerlant, to work camps. The Kaunians left behind are worried about what the work camps might mean, but are assuaged by Algarvian lies.In Kuusamo, scholars race to find the relation between the laws of similarity and contagion, while the patient warriors of Zuwayza weigh the merits of siding with either the Algarvians or the Unkerlanters. Rumors abound about the Algarvian work camps, rumors most cannot believe are true. But the mages know, for they can feel the loss of life in their very souls. Read Less