When gambler and failed magician Valen Quinol is given the opportunity to play in the Forbearance Game-the invitation-only game where players gamble with secrets-he can't resist. Or refuse, as it turns out... Wedged between the empires of Cadogna and L'Ombre, tiny Valtiffe holds on tightly to its independence-and to the opportunities for trade, politics and smuggling it offers. But powerful forces are bearing down on the island nation, and soon Valen and his misfit crew are caught up in a game where the fates of whole countries are at stake, and lives are as easily discarded as playing cards.