Starsin, an army cadet and minor member of the nobility, has escaped from a prison colony in the far north of the Virnal-administered Empire, during an attack by rebels. The rebels used mechanical warriors and other relics of a long-dead culture. Disparite forces are struggling against the Empire and hope to use Starsin as a figurehead. Assisted by the adventuress Lannaira Hajan, he hopes to contact supporters by traveling south, but disaster strikes, and his physical and moral courage is tested to the limit.
The sequel to "Deadly Relics".