Two years older, young Efkin is honing his skills, conjuring his allies, the elementals, with even greater ease, but he is also finding there are limits to his abilities. When centuries-old giants appear crossing the ocean, he is brought back into the lands of men to investigate and discovers there is much more afoot than meets the eye. An encounter with a scheming gnome reveals startling facts about the Runes; the blight of sorcery is still upon the earth. No less surprising is the discovery that his sword, Harbinger, has some hidden power and perhaps even a greater purpose.
Never far from his side, Ebin uncovers a plot to overthrow the west while imprisoned in the dungeons of Gammod-Dhol. Somehow he must engineer an almost impossible escape, break through an impenetrable army, and then cross blades with a tireless doppleganger that no earthly being should be able to defeat. Meanwhile, the men of Mor are on the move, preparing a devastating assault that not even the elves can foresee. Only the Sylph can save the kingdoms of the west, but without knowledge of the terror he will face, there is little he can do to prepare for the encounter. And on a misty isle, the Lady Eav, who wields inconceivable power, patiently waits.