Some men seek power. For others, power seeks them. By birthright, Rayne Maellor is a noble. By choice, he's an outcast-having removed himself from the indulgent aristocracy and their petty House skirmishes. He's spent his life as a warrior, fighting the battles of powerful men and now wants nothing more than to raise his family in peace; yet Rayne harbors a secret that could make him more powerful than any of the men he's ever served. When the throne is vacated and an evil duke rises to power, Rayne takes up arms and forms a rebellion. In the midst of his militia's preparations, and with his wife nine months pregnant, Rayne receives a death-bed prophecy that threatens the lives of those he loves most. To save them, he'll have to conquer bounty hunters, dark magic, a mythical beast, and his own demons.