"The action continues fast and furious in this third installment of Elizabeth Moon's celebrated return to the fantasy world of the paladin Paksenarrion Dorthansdottor" -- Book jacket.

As Kieri Phelan ascends a throne he never sought, he must come to terms with his own half-elven heritage while protecting his new kingdom from his old enemies. Meanwhile, in Tsaia, Prince Mikeli escapes an assassination attempt made by the Verrakaien magelords. As dark forces gather against the two kings and their worlds, even Paks may find her gods-given magic and peerless fighting skills stretched to the limit--and beyond.

With peace restored in the kingdoms of Tsaia and Lyonya, the newly crowned kings Mikeli and Kieri face trouble in keeping their thrones due to threats from an ex-pirate, an aggressive kingdom to the north, and corrupt magical forces.

"Acclaimed author Elizabeth Moon spins gripping, richly imagined epic fantasy novels that have earned comparisons to the work of such authors as Robin Hobb and Lois McMaster Bujold. In this volume, Moon's brilliant masterwork reaches its triumphant conclusion. The mysterious reappearance of magery throughout the land has been met with suspicion, fear, and violence. In the kingdom of Lyonya, Kieri, the half-elven, half-human king, struggles to balance...

A re-emergence of magic after centuries of absence sparks brutal pogroms throughout the Eight Kingdoms, pitting a group of resolute heroes against the machinations of a vicious traitor.