All is in turmoil as the world moves towards war. In Solarno, the spies watch each other and ready their knives, while Myna sees the troops muster at its border and emotions run high as it vows never to be enslaved again. In Collegium, the students argue politics, too late to turn the tide.
Imriel de la Courcel's blood parents are history's most reviled traitors, while his adoptive parents, Phedre and Joscelin, are Terre d'Ange's greatest champions. Stolen, tortured, and enslaved as a young boy, Imriel is now a Prince of the Blood, third in line for the throne in a land that revels in beauty, art, and desire.
Ben Transom is a simple farmer who sings off-key to his horse and wishes he were a bard. But when a goblin raid from the Shiddow Mountains destroys Ben's simple life, he is sent to petition the king for justice and is thrown into an adventure greater than he every dreamed. Along the way, Ben meets the warrior-princess Jess and the pacifist wizard Ernie. Soon they learn that the evil wizard Rimmah has enslaved Jess's parents and seeks to conquer the entire kingdom of Tarn, and Ben finds himself caught up in events more dangerous than he ever imagined.