"For Malik, the Solstasia festival is a chance to escape his war-stricken home and start a new life with his sisters in the prosperous desert city of Ziran. But when a vengeful spirit abducts his younger sister Nadia as payment to enter the city, Malik strikes a fatal deal: kill Karina, crown princess of Ziran, in exchange for Nadia's freedom."--Dust jacket flap.