Pawns in an endless war, scribes are feared and worshipped, valued and exploited, prized and hunted. But there is only one whose powers can determine the fate of the world . . .

Born into the ruins of Rzolka's brutal civil unrest, Anna has never known peace. Here, in her remote village-a wasteland smoldering in the shadows of outlying foreign armies-being imbued with the magic of the scribes has made her future all the more uncertain.

Through intricate carvings of the flesh, scribes can grant temporary invulnerability against enemies to those seeking protection. In an embattled world where child scribes are sold and traded to corrupt leaders, Anna is invaluable. Her scars never fade. The immunity she grants lasts forever.

Taken to a desert metropolis, Anna is promised a life of reverence, wealth, and fame-in exchange for her gifts. She believes she is helping to restore her homeland, creating gods and kings for an immortal army-until she witnesses the hordes slaughtering without reproach, sacking cities, and threatening everything she holds dear. Now, with the help of an enigmatic assassin, Anna must reclaim the power of her scars-before she becomes the unwitting architect of an apocalyptic war.