Sasha, the wilful but talented heroine, returns to battle in the second volume of the quartet A Trial of Blood and Steel. Away from the hills of her Lenayin homeland, Sasha is making a new life in the dark alleys and wealthy houses of Petrodor. An influential trading centre, Petrodor holds the key to preventing the coming war between Lenayin and the mighty Bacosh. Together with her old mentor Kessligh, Sasha attempts to navigate the political intrigues of the port city and find a way to stop the war. It is the serrin, the beautiful but dangerous people from beyond the Bacosh, who will be pivotal in this struggle. How much can Sasha trust her old serrin friend Errollyn? And how much can she trust herself?