Dragons. Art. Revolution. Gyen Jebi isn’t a fighter, or a subversive. They just want to paint. One day they’re jobless and desperate; the next, Jebi finds themself recruited by the Ministry of Armor to paint the mystical sigils that animate the occupying government’s automaton soldiers. But when Jebi discovers the depths of the Razanei government’s horrifying crimes—and the awful source of the magical pigments they use—they find they can no longer stay out of politics. What they can do is steal Arazi, the ministry’s mighty dragon automaton, and find a way to fight…

Do as others do. Stay where others are. Unity is survival. It has been two months since Hwa Young and her lancer squad turned on the Empire and joined the clanner rebellion, at a terrible cost. Hwa Young is desperate to rescue her dearest friend, left in the Empire's clutches when the squad fled, but that goes against the orders of her commanding officer in the rebellion—who is also her long-lost heart-mother, Aera. Loyalties are strained and battle-lines blur when an enemy lancer pilot reaches out to Hwa Young in secret, revealing deeper forces at work both in the Empire and among the...