Petra Ondise swears on her brother's memory to rise from her role as a clothes-washing maid & join the House of Couriers. Once there, she will learn why her brother, who was a loyal courier to the crown, was killed.As the Festival of the Late Harvest Moon approaches, Petra crosses paths with Third Shivalry Captain Rand Tsenturian, whose dark red eyes haunt her thoughts. He seems to linger in her shadow. Amid the countless rumors that run wild in the royal city, Petra learns her brother & the captain were not strangers.Yet, in the wake of the Festival of the Late Harvest Moon, Rand steps out of the shadows & pulls her to an ancient garden, hidden in the emperor's palace. Eternity lingers. An ancient incantation tempts & destiny takes over. Now she is Sacred. He is her Sacrifice.