Following a profound military disgrace, Marik was exiled to the watchtower of the Dagger, a solitary mountain outpost far away from the capital city of Ankar. Marik remained at the barren outpost for years, never permitted to forget the tales of dishonor, mystery, and dark magic that surround his name. Then, just when he had begun to hope that his long banishment was ending, along came Gray; an educated yet clueless recruit ordered to spend the winter alone with Marik at the tower. Gray's haughty manners, lack of soldiering, and infuriating attitude compel Marik to treat him with contempt, but Gray has mysteries of his own hiding behind his noble facade. As Marik's attraction grows, he vows to keep Gray at a distance, because no one must know the truth of his exile, nor of the perilous secret he has kept all his life. A secret of fire. *This story is an HEA (happily-ever-after) m/m standalone, set in the world of Nemerl, the same universe as the "Scarlet and the White Wolf" novels.