Hundreds are dead at the hands of The Four. Three months after the events of Leithar Grove, Tamir is a kingdom in fear. The people no longer trust Prince Remelas; his military ambitions are now public knowledge. So the Sons of Tamir, a nationalistic faction created within this atmosphere of betrayal, march on the capital to seek Remelas' abdication. And still the rumours persist of a young girl who walked away, unharmed, from Leithar Grove that night. Crazed seers and prophets continue to preach of the Queen of the World. Sarene, accompanied by the huge woodsman Kanderil, journeys ever onwards in hope of finding shelter from the coming winter. Having left her family behind, she finds herself growing isolated from an increasingly perilous world. Sarene refuses to believe what these nameless strangers say about her. Yet she must come face to face with the truth of what she is. What she represents. And that truth will come at the highest cost.