The story of Appaloosa Elim continues.

Two year ago, the crow-god Marhuk sent his grandson to Sixes. Two nights ago, a stranger picked up his gun and sot him. Two hours ago, the funeral party set out for the holy city of Atali'Krah, braving the wastelands to bring home the body of Dulei Marhuk. Out in the wastes, one more corpse should hardly make a difference. But the blighted landscape has been ravaged by drought, twisted by violence, and warped by magic - and no-one is immune.

Vuchak struggles to keep theparty safe from monsters, marauders, and his own troubled mind. Weisei is being eaten alive by his strange illness. And fearful, guilt-wracked Elim hopes he's only imagining the sounds coming from Dulei's coffin. As their supplies dwindle and tensions mount, the desert exacts a terrible price from its pilgrims - one that will be paid with the blood of the living, and the peace of the dead.