At sixteen annual-cycles Rydor Celon refuses to take the Voltran Warrior's Rite of Passage into adulthood. He is branded a coward and brutally tortured by his father and brother. They leave his battered body in the wilderness for dead, but he is found and rescued by Olin the Wizard, who mentors him into a solitary life on Spirit Mountain. He is torn when a desperate princess comes to the mountain and insists he become a Zared Kiah Master to defend her tribe from the Voltran Evil in the Ultimate Battle. Something draws Rydor to the princess and he reluctantly agrees, putting his life and heart at risk. Shayla D'Par discovers a recluse warrior who claims no family or tribe. His muscular body is battle hard. In her heart she knows he is an honorable and capable man even though he denies his ability. She has found her Kiah Master. Her responsibility to save her people turns into a battle to save Rydor from himself. Only love will win.