The small border town of Ziven has been overrun by rats, a problem that should be easy enough to fix. However, when a Priest of the Ten Gods arrives to help, he learns there is dark and dangerous magic at work in this far corner of the empire.

Already injured, Koya may not be able to deal with anything this perilous.

He doesn't have a choice. Ziven is attacked, and he's taken prisoner by an enemy who wants to use Koya and his powers to help start a confrontation between two groups of magic users. The young priest is unwilling to cooperate, and with the help of an unlikely ally, he's prepared to stop the war that he may have inadvertently started.