THE WAR HAS NOT BEEN LOST The countries of Cython and Hightspall are at war, with centuries of resentment and evil magic fuelling the flames. Rix has lost everything to traitors on his own side - his family, his reputation, even his right hand. Even so, he must fight. If he can reach his family's mountain fortress, perhaps he can save the refugees who follow him, and begin his own resistance. Tali has been imprisoned by those who wish to use her healing blood, but they may take even more than that. Her life will be forfeit if her captors discover her secret - that she holds the key to winning the war itself. But Rix's fortress holds secrets too, and his arrival sets off a chain of events that will bring old powers and figures out of myths back to the land . . .