These swords were forged on a lifeless, wind-swept mountain peak, in fire extracted from the womb of the earth, from metal that fell from the sky. They were tempered in human sweat and human blood by the hand of Vulcan, the Blacksmith God. There were Twelve Swords, created as instruments of a whimsical game started by the gods. Each Sword was endowed with amazing power - to win a battle, or to kill by even more terrible means... to avert the enemy's eyes or kill his soul... to bestow lasting good luck or to heal... Only one living being saw how these powerful Swords were forged - a man named Jorda. And in return for the hand that Vulcan took from him on that unforgettable night, Jord received one of the Swords. It was to be inherited by his son. While Mark was growing up, the Sword hung on the wall of his father's house. The boy is well aware of his sharpness and supernatural perfection. But he does not realize the power of the sword until one day Duke Fratkin's men come to take the Sword from Jord. As Mark watches, the Sword rushes into battle, screaming with inner rage, with little regard for the life of its owner. When the battle ends, the Duke's men are dead, but George and Mark's older brother have fallen with them. Taking the Sword with him, Mark flees the Duke's vengeance, heading to the lands of the Good Sir Andrew. Along the way, he joins the company of the dragon hunter Nestor, also the owner of the Sword, and his two assistants, the large, seemingly simpleton Ben and the pretty Barbara. But they do not find the peace they sought from Sir Andrew. For powerful forces are in motion, driven by the thirst for power over their fellow humans that the Swords promise - the cruel Duke Fratkin, the Silver Queen of Yambu at the head of a ruthless sorcerous army, the greedy Blue Temple who wants to find the Swords he once owned, and himself The Dark King, the lord of demons, exuding the stench of evil and armed with the most fearsome of all Swords. Further years of struggle inexorably push Mark and his companions to the turning point when the Swords will meet in battle. Then Mark will have to enter into a game that even the gods can no longer control.