The war is over... and starts again. Rebel lords tear the kingdom apart. Guyven Retwald, who took the throne of his ancestors, faces betrayal and treason. He has to go the dark way - to master the forgotten ancient magic, to get help from the Lord of Darkness himself. Who will he eventually become - salvation or death for Iberlen? Neither Aina Aitvern, involved in the whirlpool of court intrigues, nor her brother Arthur, who will again bare his sword on the battlefields, know this.