The realm of Deiparia-what was once the United States-teeters on the edge of a new millennium. Spiritual fervor is high. The Church of the Deiparous is worshiped and served as God. And the Church's rising star, "The Hammer of the Heiromonarch," Malachi Thorne of the Paracletian Order, is on track for great things. So when a convicted traitor and heretic escapes Thorne's grip, he won't tolerate anything marring his perfect record. Thorne journeys across the realm in pursuit of his quarry and a freedom fighter named Traugott, confronting demons, sorcery, a witch cult out for his blood, and a madman in his own Order. However, these pale in comparison to the truth about Traugott. When Witchfinder and freedom fighter come face to face, Thorne is submerged in a mental and spiritual crisis like he's never known. Dario Darien, Thorne's clerk and trusted friend, uncovers evidence of a sinister cabal of resurrected evil from the Church's forbidden past. As he searches for answers to his brother-in-law's mysterious death, his niece and nephew become pawns in a diabolical plan. Teska Vaun is a survivor, a woman with a chip on her shoulder and a unique gift that has earned her the nickname "The Ghost." She pursues vengeance against Solomon Warner, one of Thorne's deputies. But she didn't expect to develop feelings for a certain Witchfinder nor discover she might be the redeemer-or ruination-of the future. The realm of Deiparia races toward a cataclysmic confrontation of war, magic, freedom and faith. Beliefs will be shattered, tenuous alliances made, and no one will be left unchanged.