“You want to be rid of me that badly, then you have only one option.”When Alechi of Lagdin has an encounter with an evil spirit known as an actusfie, he must take a journey to the Holy City of Som Catre or wait for the actusfie to kill him from the inside out. Though he seemingly sets out alone, the spirit haunts his every heartbeat, and silent guardians guide his steps even when he fails to notice them. On his journey, Alechi meets a mountain man, merchants, shamans, smiths, and ordinary children who help him separate his true identity from the evil lurking in his heart.