A simple favor for a friend becomes a deadly challenge as Raven faces the highest stakes of his life.A young man stands accused of committing a horrible crime using forbidden dark magic.When reformed dark mage Corwyn Ravenscroft heads to the small, rural town of Devil's Crossing to launch an unofficial investigation, he soon discovers the simple case is more complex--and more dangerous--than he expected.Far from home, Raven is out of his element and out of his area of expertise, but that's the least of his worries as more deaths pile up and a mysterious ancient force returns to threaten all life on earth. To stop it, Raven might have to sacrifice more than his life.