Timothy hates the Huctans that rule his country almost as much as he hates himself. But when he and his brother are kidnapped—and when a girl with a strange set of skills sets them free—Timothy gets a chance to fight back. Throwing himself into the rebel cause and training as an elite young Thane, Timothy ignites years of pent-up frustration into an obsessive drive to become the best. For months he practices combat and espionage, finding friendship with an equally fanatical young rebel and losing himself in the exhaustion of training and the danger of missions. Loving every minute of his new life, he wraps his new identity completely in service to the rebel Band. The rebel Band which, unbeknownst to him, was created to be betrayed.