As the War of the Blades draws to a close, Nassari Orin, Corisian courtier and diplomat turned Dragon Rider, has big plans: to bask in the glory of victory and the admiration of his countrymen; to wed the new-found love of his life, Nadia Cutter, in the manner she's always dreamed of and settle down in marital bliss; to work with his fellow Dragon Riders and friends to mold the Legion of Riders from the glimmering of an idea into a powerful and fully functioning association of bonded pairs; and, perhaps most of all, to do all of this freed from political entanglements and mundane obligations by his lofty but neutral status as the Dragon Rider of a Lineage Holder. But Nassari soon finds that plans rarely survive first contact with reality. Not everyone honors heroes or thinks so highly of Dragons and Riders, and even those who do are more than willing to use them for their own ends. Meanwhile, a war is brewing that threatens to test the Oath of the Legion while it is still in its infancy. It isn't long before Nassari is fighting for the Legion's dignity, independence, and very survival, as well as his own.