Daedus and the surviving members of the Markan Legion struggle to survive in the aftermath of their final battle against the Serpent Lords upon the island of Amayelli Cahuitl. Victims of both fate and treachery, they have been deprived of their most powerful allies and betrayed by their own special operations units, the LongKnives. Remnants of the enemy armies have scattered to the most inaccessible parts of the island, striking when they are least expected, competing for the finite resources of their island prison, and hiding from the relentless hunger and savagery of the Nagual. But Daedus knows time is running out and the soon the Nagual, no longer under Adzutucoatl's direct command, will turn upon them to survive. Unless he can find a way to get them off the island. Worsening their situation, the demi-goddess Chihuacoatl, the Madness that Walks, has awoken from a centuries long sleep and broken free of her earthly bondage. Having defeated and robbed Adzutucoatl of much of his power, she escaped the clutches of the Tomb of Time with the sole intent of resurrecting her dark empire. Waiting for her somewhere deep within the womb of magic called Xincan, in the holy land of Matauils, are the twin master blades of wildersteel. With both back in her possession, it is certain she is marshaling her forces to attempt subjugating mankind once again And somewhere in the Lands of the Southern Shores, new evils anxiously anticipate the arrival of Adzutucoatl and his outland army. One waits with vengeance and a prisoner to ultimately claim what he sees as his own. A few seek to further their powers and reach with the demise of the Banebaal. The last views Adzutucoatl, Daedus and his soldiers as both a means to an end and a threat demanding his immediate attention.