King of Avornis Gras, together with General Girundo, travel to Montenegro to return the throne to their ally Prince Vsevolod, from whom his treacherous son Vasilko took it. The Avornians are afraid of an alliance between the Montenegrins and the Overthrown, otherwise they will have to deal with the allies of the overthrown god along too much of the kingdom's borders. Meanwhile, the Avornians’ longtime opponents, the nomadic Menteshe, also became more active, but the death of their leader sowed civil strife in their ranks. King Lanius is looking for information in ancient manuscripts that will allow him to confront his enemies and return the Menteshe slaves to their former life, but sometimes he is visited by thoughts that the throne, usurped by Grasse, could again belong to him alone...