The stunning conclusion to the saga of a doomed civilization and the heroes who fight to save it. "Has the sweep and power of Asimov's Foundation." —Jean M. Auel, author of the Earth's Children series In an empire on the brink of implosion, the Society of the Phoenix is the only alternative to catastrophe, yet it is regarded by the rulers of the Concord as treasonable and a greater threat than the ominous rumblings of a Bond uprising. The Phoenix is led by Alex Ransom, once the first born of the House of DeKoven Woolf, but Commander Ransom now lies in an underground infirmary, critically wounded and comatose after a vital foray into Concord territory. Yet the mission of the Phoenix remains steadfast, and a new leader emerges: Jael the Outsider. Meanwhile, one of the original founders of the Phoenix, Dr. Erica Radek, fights for Ransom's life as hard as she fights for the survival of the Concord. Erica has a third mission: to find Lady Adrien Eliseer, who has vanished without a trace from the Two Systems. Erica knows that Adrien is the key to Alexand's survival. As war looms, the Concord must face the Phoenix, and only one will rise from the ashes.