This series has really changed over the years and the original emphasis on Kaylin investigating crimes in a fantasy world, which usually ended with saving that world, has shifted to simply dealing with the world ending crisis. So her day job as a Hawk is mentioned mostly in regards to her absences, and mentions of the fief lord Nightshade, and her complicated feelings about him, see even fewer words than the Hawks. Until now, because Cast in Blood resurrects that story line when assassins attack Nightshade and the Lady of the Barrani with some kind of magical poison that might be a kind of Shadow. I remember the question at the end of book two. Will she be Erenne?

Nearly twenty years ago in our world, Nightshade met Kaylin in the first book and Marked her as his Erenne. Her Barrani friends, and later Nightshade’s brother, were outraged because the mark indicates a consort/slave that has been illegal for centuries. Since then Kaylin and Nightshade have saved each other’s life but she still remembers the hatred and fear she felt while growing up in his fief. It’s been some time since the two have been thrown together.

Now Nightshade lies unconscious and dying from a magical poison. For the first time in her life Kaylin can’t connect to someone and heal them but there is a very faint connection through the Erenne mark. What exactly is the Erenne mark and how does it work? Also, why is someone trying to assassinate Nightshade and cutting both him and the Barrani Lady off from true words like immortal names? Does someone hope to replace the Lady with someone else as a political gambit or is the motive more sinister? Why choose to move against Nightshade at the same time? Once again plans centuries in the making can only be stopped by the mortal Chosen no one expected.

This book is a must read for any fan of the series. There are numerous characters and references from more recent books, so it wouldn’t be a good idea to skip a few if you’re just interested in the Nightshade storyline. I am just really happy to see something closer to closure on a plot point that seemed like a big deal early on. It also ties back into a couple of other dangling plots such as Severn’s unique weapon and how he acquired it. Basically, this tidies up the plot a bit, and along with the growth we saw in Kaylin’s character the last couple of books, I think the series is ready to move forward as a whole towards they’re unseen enemies and hopefully Ravellon.