A realm at risk. A quest for hope. A prophecy of ruin. Grim war casts a shadow across the land. Hidden armies gather in nighted valleys. Esgallien City, ruled by a false Witch-queen, lies at the mercy of its many foes. Lanrik faces an impossible quest. Only one man has the power to overthrow the queen and ready Esgallien to fight: Aranloth, the greatest wizard of the age. But for him to do so, Lanrik must free him from the ring of sorcerers who hold him captive. He cannot do it by himself. He dreads taking Erlissa, though she has magic to help. But he has no choice. The land's needs outweigh his fears, and the impossible never stopped him before. He sets out to save all that he loves, but the words of a long-dead king haunt him. "Nothing lasts forever. Not men, nor chiefs ... nor even cities."