The jungles of Lustria devour outsiders. Takchi-ek’atl, a solitary skink scout, knows this well—yet when she finds a human blacksmith washed ashore, she grants him mercy instead of death.

Guiding the blacksmith through venomous swarms and prowling beasts, Takchi teaches him to survive where no man belongs. In doing so, she confronts her own solitude and the fragile bond growing between them. But in Lustria, every path leads to parting, and even mercy carries a cost.