Ringil Eskiat is running from his past and the family that disowned him, from the slave traders who want him dead, and, apparently, from the dark gods themselves, who show an interest in him, but there is no more sense in their actions, than ever. Outlawed and exiled from his northern homeland, Ringil realizes that he can only go to one place - Iheltet, the heart of the southern Empire, where, perhaps, he will be sheltered by Archet, once Ringil's military comrade-in-arms, and now a high-ranking adviser to the emperor. But she has her own problems, as does her guest, bodyguard Egar Dragonbane. And instead of getting the desired respite, Ringil finds himself in the very center of new conspiracies and dubious alliances. Old enemies are plotting, the former order is rotten and collapsing, and although no one knows about it yet, the city of Iheltet is about to explode, because a messenger from the former owners of this land has already fallen straight from the sky and brought the news that all living things in the world will soon the end will come.