The fate of the kingdom lies in one impossible task. Skillfully deducing the machinations of her captors, Shai needs a perfect plan to escape. Her only possible ally is one who is truly loyal to the emperor, but councillor Gaotona must overcome his prejudices to understand that her forgery is as much artistry as it is deception.

Despite the fact that her skill as a Forger is considered an abomination by her captors, Shai will attempt to create a new soul for the emperor, who is almost dead from the attack of assassins.ĭelving deeply into his life, she discovers Emperor Ashravan's truest nature-and the opportunity to exploit it. Though condemned to death after trying to steal the emperor's scepter, she is given one opportunity to save herself. “ Shai is a Forger, a foreigner who can flawlessly copy and re-create any item by rewriting its history with skillful magic. Forging, while deducing the motivations of her captors, she needs a perfect plan to escape. Shai's only possible ally is the emperor's most loyal councillor, Gaotona, who struggles to understand her true talent. She is confined to a tiny, dirty chamber, guarded by a man who hates her, spied upon by politicians, and trapped behind a door sealed in her own blood. But her soul-Forgery is considered an abomination by her captors. Shai is given an impossible task: to create - to Forge - a new soul for the emperor in less than 100 days. If the emperor does not emerge after his 100-day mourning period, the rule of the Heritage Faction will be forfeit and the empire will fall into chaos. An assassin has left the Emperor Ashravan without consciousness, a circumstance concealed only by the death of his wife. “ When Shai is caught replacing the Moon Scepter with her nearly flawless forgery, she must bargain for her life.

The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson