A beautiful Lord of Wickedness, with hair as black as iniquity, is about to shatter the life of the weathermage Asrthiel. Of this she has no notion as she prepares for battle against a tyrant who plans to seize dominion over the Four Kingdoms. The invading armies are pushing further north and it seems that all is lost...Until a new peril unexpectedly looms; a far more dangerous and deadly menace that threatens not merely the balance of power, but the entire human race. It seems their only hope lies with the golden sword Fallowblade, and only Asrthiel can wield that weapon. But what of this stranger, this perilous eldritch warrior, whose beauty outshines the night...?