Sometimes magic isn't the weapon of the mage. Sometimes the mage is the weapon of the magic.Tamsen is now the Elven Queen, and a dreadful responsibility has fallen upon her. She must build the greatest army the seven kingdoms have ever known, and return to the blood-plains of fabled Ilia to fight the war the Elves once refused to join. Awaiting her there will be her hated uncle, the Duke de Spesialle. But first, she must find the warrior women of Hippolytos, the greatest fighting force in the world, and discover what secrets the Ka'antira pendant has hidden for so long. But the real battle is not in front of the ruins of Ilia. She must make her way to the infamous arena of the gods. There she will undertake the final test in the gods' great game--and confront the witch-goddess Lamashtu. Tamsen's path to Ilia has been fraught with peril, but in the arena decisions are final. And in order to preserve the Elven Realm, Tamsen must be prepared to lose everything she loves. Can she make the final sacrifice? Or will she doom the Elves--and herself--to destruction?