Left behind is the Dragaeran Empire, which Vlad Taltosh, a native of the East, calls “homeland” because he knows no other. Left behind are a broken marriage, good friends and very, very unkind and powerful enemies, the Jaregs, who are determined to get Vlad’s head. And ahead is the historical homeland, the East, the kingdom of Fenario, where the Dragaerians are called elves, where they do not know imperial magic, but many have witchcraft. Where, perhaps, Vlad’s relatives on his mother’s side still live. It would seem that traveling to the East is a complete plus for Vlad, any “elf” there will be noticed a mile away, especially an elf with the weapon that the Jharegs intend to use to deal with the traitor forever. It would seem...