How far would you go to resist a brutal regime? Out hunting for relics, young Starsin sees a friend murdered by a High Master of the Virnal dictatorship, He makes a first act of resistance, only to fear the consequences as he comes under the Virnals' suspicious eye. Meanwhile, a mysterious adventuress is tracking him for her own ends. How long can he survive?
Cadet Starsin only ever wanted a simple life, pursuing his own selfish interests, maintaining a mistress and adding to his meager army pay by trading in ancient artifacts. But when he witnesses the cold blooded murder, Starsin feels impelled against his instincts to protest. This marks him down as a trouble-maker and potential rebel. Then he involves himself with a political hostage.
The ruthless Virnal Order rules over the Empire of Satine by fear, guile and an iron hand. Lethal poisons from a past cataclysm are leaking from the ground, causing sickness and death. Unseen insurgency seeks to overturn the established order.
Implicated in sedition, and with both the Virnals and a mysterious adventuress named Lannaira Hajan taking an unhealthy interest in him, Starsin's mundane life is turned upside down. His own ambiguous past threatens an explosive revelation.
Take a journey across a troubled land with Starsin, as he battles the Virnals, uncovers shocking secrets and finds that he is not the man he thought he was. Will he survive his quest?
Previously sold as "Deadly Relics"

Kim Cowie has worked as a technician and as a technical author, and has sold articles to non-fiction magazines, as well as two short stories. Kim has always enjoyed reading and writing SF and fantasy stories. Currently he is working on a series of fantasy novels.
Kim was included in the June 2017 list of "14 Exciting New Authors to Try Over the Summer" on the SFFChronicles forum.