Enslaved in the mines of Lonia, Pela has forgotten the last time she saw the sun. For days uncounted she has toiled, scorned by her captors, forgotten. Her jailers think her cowed, but the blood of a warrior flows in her veins. When a new overseer arrives, Pela sees an opportunity. The man is young and untrained – he could easily be deceived.

Meanwhile, the Plorsean King has been cast down. Supported by the Knights of Alana, his wife has seized the crown and plunged the nation into chaos. But the king is not dead yet. His champion slain, his throne usurped by the woman he loved, Braidon has nothing left but his rage. What better weapon to use against his treacherous wife?