Shedding the last of her connections to the consul and her ex-lover Taregon in Panaceah, warrior cleric Syra Defoe searches for direction. At dinner with her best friend she meets Sal, the leader of a secret anti-establishment movement. His charm draws her into a world where lovers are prohibited from bonding and sickly children languish in makeshift camps. While school skirmishes erupt into mini wars through Kurtitoas, Taregon stalks Syra, forcing her to take drastic measures to protect her family. Halfway across Kurtitoas, Seth Kelmar takes the road less traveled. Seth's instinct to help dragons now places him at the head of a mismatched group of misfits. Only the dragons can find the lost dragon temple site. It's massive dragon shaped gates take Seth's breath away, but how can he create a life inside a forgotten ruined city? Struggling to find his place, he comes across old friends, and new misfits. As each hero struggles to find the right path, their enemies lurk in the shadows. Will they ever find each other again?