After the events of the last book, Braim Kotogs now wants to move up in the Tournament of the Gods in order to secure his own safety from anyone who wants to take his life. To win his sub-bracket challenge, Braim must defeat his opponent-a shy, unassuming woman with a mysterious past and agenda-in battle, but when Braim learns of a terrible secret about his true nature, he will have to do more than simply win the sub-bracket challenge in order to survive. Raya Mana finds herself kidnapped by a violent and crazy mage who intends to use her for her own vile ends. But when Raya escapes the mage, she must now work with the mysterious Hermit of the Swamp in order to return to World's End, although with the violent mage and her half-god pet chasing her, Raya will have to use all of her wits and intelligence to make it back alive. Shunned and hated by his people, Carmaz Korva now lives alone in the Ruwan wilderness when he stumbles upon a plot by a mysterious race of golems to invade the surface and kill everyone on his home island of Ruwa. Carmaz must work with a legendary-and insane-mage and his son in order to stop the golems' invasion before it begins, because if he does not, then everyone and everything he loves will be destroyed.