The dragons have returned to Arianthem, and four of the Ancients go to war. Talan is joined by Kylan, her seductive ally from the Great War, while Volva, her enemy, uses her carnal ways to stand against the Queen of all Dragons. Both of Talan’s children must stand with her, and Talan gambles that her trust in them is not misplaced.
Meanwhile, both the Ha’kan and Tavinter seek Skye, the young ruler who was kidnapped by a sorceress. Haunted by thoughts of her violation and captivity, they will not stop until they find her, even if it means searching every league of the Deep Woods. Unfortunately, Raine, the one most suited to find Skye, cannot even look because it most certainly is a trap for the Scinterian warrior. Instead, she must deal with the Shadow Guild, the upper echelon of all Assassins in Arianthem. These vampyres are contracted to kill a head of state and Raine must stop the assassination before it destroys the nascent Alliance. But this forces her to deal with the impulsively sexual creatures whose manipulations and machinations put even the Goddess of the Underworld to shame.