In the warring kingdom of Qualinesti, dark knights haunt the common folk, and the once-proud Elven Senate acts at the behest of the green dragon Beryl. Even the elf king walks a tightrope between serving the needs of his people and keeping the dragon knights calm. From this mired politics emerges a mysterious heroine, a Kagonesti woman from the Forest Glades and rocky eastern reaches. She and her loyal band of resistance fighters quickly become the terror of the Dark Knights. Known to friends and foes alike as the Lioness, she is the protector of a people that has been bled dry by dragon taxes and crushed under the steel boots of hostile knights. She is Kerianserai, the king's own robber, his secret lover and his secret weapon.