Summer is a time of war for the Free Cities. Captain Marcus Wester strives to get out of Vanai before the fighting begins. His best days are long behind him, and working as a simple caravan guard seems preferable to serving in the army of some local princeling. Even in a small war you can lose your life. But the captain needs people to lead, and Vester’s soldiers were arrested and enlisted in the army of the ruler of Vanai. Citrin Bel Sarkur is faced with the task of removing the “national treasure” from the war zone. The orphan raised by Medeana Bank remains the bank's owners' last hope that their assets will not fall into the hands of invaders. But Citrine is just a little girl who knows nothing about caravans, war and dangers. All her knowledge concerns money and banking, but will this be enough to survive the next months? Zheder Palliako, heir to Viscount Rivenhulme, is more interested in philosophy than military affairs. But this is a weak excuse for a soldier, and even more so for a pawn in military and political games. But he cannot even imagine who he will turn into at the end of his first military campaign, a hero or a villain. Small people achieve great things, but Zheder is hardly small... Rolling pebbles can cause a landslide. A small summer duel between aristocrats quickly turns into something dangerous for the entire kingdom. Dark forces are diligently fanning fires that can engulf an entire region, forcing it to take the path of the dragon - the path of war...