With the wildling Signar in tow, Tzarik and Sybal track Tarkan to Alika only to find he's in a race to the mythical Mahit'Nomicon against the would-be sorcerer Abigor Sharar. Now on the hunt for two of the most dangerous sentients to have ever existed, the Runers come closer to finding out that their paths might not have crossed with Sharar's entirely by chance and the hunters may have in fact been the hunted.

After two decades of study, Sharar finally believes he knows the resting place of the Mahit'Onomicon. Just before he's sure, an old nemesis appears, stronger and more vengeful than ever before. Armed with the djinn he enslaved long ago, protected by a sell-sword Runer, and informed by a traitorous necromancer, Sharar sees no way he can possibly fall to the revenge-bent Necro'Khan. He will be a sorcerer before the winter cools the desert sands of Alika.

Tarkan is gathering not only Apostles to his side but also unearthing spells and magic that Ishmael began to create one thousand years ago–long before Tarkan thought his father even existed. The more powerful the Necro'Khan becomes, the less he fears Sharar. In fact, Sharar as a sorcerer might be the missing piece he needs to become truly free and enthrone himself as the most powerful sentient on the map.