The war has not yet been lost.

Rix has lost everything to the Chancellor - his home, his family, even his right hand. But still he must fight. If he can reach the fortress of Garramide, he can save the lives of the servants who follow him, and perhaps begin the resistance.

Tali has been imprisoned by those who wish to use her healing blood, but they may take more than that - her life will be forfeit if her captors discover her secret - that she holds the key to winning the war itself.

But Garramide holds secrets too, and Rix's arrival sets off a chain of events that will bring old powers and figures out of myths back to the land.