Ciara has traveled to the barracks but the promised teaching has not come to pass, leaving her worse off than before, and her people without the nya'shin for protection. If she can't master the summoning, she fears the darkness will claim her. 
But now that the darkness has revealed itself, Jasn must find a way to save Alena from her connection to the draasin before that connection kills her. Only then can he search for whether Katya was destroyed by the darkness, or learn if he can still save her. With her shaping limited, Alena discovers a different reserve of strength, one that will be vital in the coming days.
The real war now begins. They all must learn how to suppress the danger of Tenebeth, discover and stop those responsible for summoning the dark, or none will survive.