Aris Castor has less than a month before he graduates from student to weapon. With one last taste of freedom before he swears his oath of duty, what is he meant to do? *** The Crimson Watch is the sword of the empire, its instruments of justice and enforcers of the crown's will. As the son of the Watch's Commander, Aris has spent his life training to be a Watchman - a fate that's drawing ever closer for himself and his fellow apprentices. But after a lifetime of being groomed into the perfect weapon, he finds himself desperate for a chance at the things he's never been allowed; freedom, peace, love. One last mission to a distant province of the empire, far from the commander's prying eyes, might be his opportunity for just that. But while leading his classmates on the mission, Aris can't shake the feeling that something is wrong. Even as he finally grows closer to the girl he's spent years yearning for, something in his gut tells him this trip is a turning point - for himself, and for the empire.