A beautiful Lord of Wickedness, with hair as black as iniquity, is about to shatter the life of the weathermage Asrăthiel.
Of this she has no notion as she prepares for battle against a tyrant who plans to seize dominion over the Four Kingdoms.
The invading armies are pushing further north and it seems all is lost... Until a far more dangerous and deadly menace unexpectedly looms, threatening not merely the balance of power, but the entire human race. It seems their only hope lies with the golden sword Fallowblade, and only Asrăthiel can wield that weapon. But what of this stranger, this perilous eldritch warrior, whose beauty outshines the night...?