Malfus's past has finally caught up with him. He's a renegade, an outlaw, a necromancer. Now he's a prisoner. He's been captured by Inquisitor Deza, to be tried, tortured, and executed for his crimes. But they're ambushed by half-hyena marauders, forcing them to take refuge with a heavily wounded battalion already under siege by the monsters. Deza only cares about his mission. But another assault by the marauders would be a death sentence for the battalion. The only option remaining is to free Malfus and to raise an army of the dead. But will the dead be enough to save the living?