Elenya and Alemar have come of age hidden from the decades-long war between an empire-craving dragon and the human dynasty that stands in its way. The twin sister and brother nevertheless may be the means to turn the tide in that conflict. It will require more than the years of training they have endured in sword, strategy, and battle magic. They must know themselves.

Captured by the nomads of the Eastern Deserts, the twins are left operating without allies far from their native land. Only one path offers them the chance to fulfill their quest, or even permit them to survive: They have to join the tribe.

The Eastern Deserts, so the twins are told, have a thousand ways to kill a person. No one mentions the true danger. The place and its people and its custom offer destinies that can be found nowhere else. If one is seduced by that, how can one stay true to any cause one used to follow?

The classic novel, finally available again as part of the release of the full series, in a new, author-preferred version.