When going to war, know when your ally is about to turn on you... and when your enemy is ready to turn.

Taking possession of a country isn't like taking possession of a house. There are always other claimants. Some are the previous owners. Some are fellow invaders who feel they've been cheated. And all of them have swords.

It's wise to discover quickly which of your competitors can be bought, which trust only in steel, and which -- most dangerous of all -- are willing to employ the Art Magic to get their own way.

Seven years after The Landing, Bayrd al'Talvlyn, first lord of his new young clan, is walking the razor's edge between friends and enemies as he struggles to keep his land out of the grasp of those who want it... and those who want it back. He must lose a friend, and go to war alongside an enemy -- knowing that at battle's end the sorcerer Kalarr cu Ruruc waits for him, ready to destroy Bayrd's whole world...