The Seven Kingdoms are in the grip of an ancient and terrible blood curse. Thousands have died; thousands more yet will. Only one man can end the curse: the fugitive Osgaardan prince and reluctant mage, Harkeld.
The road to salvation is long and arduous. Harkeld has outrun his father?s soldiers, but he can?t hope to outrun the assassins ? the notorious, deadly Fithians ? clamouring for the bounty on his head. Even the Sentinel mages who guide and guard him are no match for Fithian steel. Faced with the ever-present threat of death, Harkeld must learn to use his fire magic, or die.
Meanwhile, in Osgaard?s gold-tiled palace, Harkeld?s sister Princess Brigitta is living on borrowed time, hostage to their brother?s ambition. And far to the east, young orphan Jaum‚ journeys with a band of mysterious, dangerous fighters, heading north for a purpose he does not yet understand.