choose a quick death or slow poisonabout to be executed for murder yelena is offered an extraordinary reprieve shell eat the best meals have rooms in the palaceand risk assassination by anyone trying to kill the commander of ixiaand so yelena chooses to become a food taster but the chief of security leaving nothing to chance deliberately feeds her butterflys dustand only by appearing for her daily antidote will she delay an agonizing death from the poisonas yelena tries to escape her new dilemma disasters keep mounting rebels plot to seize ixia and yelena develops magical powers she cant control her life is threatened again and choices must be made but this time the outcomes arent so clear