Ruti is Markless. In a society where worth is determined by the pattern on your palm and the magic it grants you, this also deems her worthless. But she’s a hardened survivor, a protector of the lowest class … and the most powerful witch in Somanchi. With a single song, she can ask the spirits to grant her unimaginable powers.

Dekala’s Mark is strong, a Mark fit for the future queen of Somanchi, but it’s also unstable. She knows the only solution is to be bonded with another, but that would mean relinquishing control over her throne and kingdom. So when she witnesses Ruti’s power, Dekala offers the witch a deal: She can be prosecuted for her crimes … or she can help Dekala ascend to the throne, unbonded.

Dekala is calculating and brutal, focused purely on getting her way. She is also determined, intelligent, and compassionate. Ruti is torn between the grudging bloom of attraction and admiration, and the desire to see Dekala fail. But as the spirits are defied, new alliances are forged and the fullness of Ruti’s feelings emerge. The fate of the kingdom—and the survival of the downtrodden—lies in her unmarked hands.