The kingdoms of the east have forgotten magic and replaced it with science. Now they need it more than ever The kingdoms of the east have all but forgotten the old magic. Science has replaced the wizards; muskets and cannons have replaced the swords and armor of the old knights. But across the mountains, Atark, a shaman of their ancient enemy, the nomadic Kaifeng, has rediscovered the old magic and, thirsting for revenge for his murdered family, he unleashes it in a new war of conquest. As city after city falls to the invader, Matt, a young soldier, and Jarren, a reluctant scholar, desperately search for an answer to this seemingly unstoppable weapon. Meanwhile, Kareen and Thelena, two young women from different cultures, are thrown together by fate--and find that in a world drenched in blood, the only thing they can count on is each other.