Three Great Cities remain while all others have fallen to the forces of evil. Deagan Wingrat is a battle-hardened knight in the squalid city of Darkwell. That is until his drastic actions during a raid in the Border Lands call his loyalty into question and he is cast out of the knighthood for good. He is forced to give back his golden chain, his white belt, and worst of all, his warhorse, Maggie. He is, however, allowed to keep his sword, and before long he needs it. He turns to his longtime friend Kellen Wayfield, a charming merchant with a questionable past who becomes alarmed when one of his trade caravans fails to return from its voyage to the nearby city of Haven. Meanwhile Guard Androth of Haven is sworn to silence yet knows secrets that could expose a villainous plot involving the Royal Lord-the same lord that the black knight is oath-sworn to protect. And Sir Oscar, chief of the Dragon Riders, is foiled at every turn as his knights are used as pawns in a deadly game. The city of Haven is falling. Deagan and the others must try to stop it, but at what cost?