The fetters of fate are binding. Neither man nor god can break them.
After the fall of the great Vandarian fortress of Dragon's Bane, Elyon Daecar gathers his army in the Lakelands to the north. They have suffered a great defeat. Heroes and friends have fallen. Yet with the Windblade in his grasp, Elyon will not yield. From east to west and north to south, he will take the fight to the enemy, and soar.
After finally meeting with her grandmother in Aram, Saska - born of Light and Steel and Sea - has discovered the truth of her sire...and the great fate that now awaits her. It is much to place upon her shoulders. Much to expect of one so young. Ahead of her lies a great journey, and a great challenge...yet she needn't face it alone.
The Shadow Order is no more. Jonik, Ghost of the Shadowfort, has unearthed the terrible truth of its founding. An order born of need...required to do terrible things. As his company begin to disband, Jonik finds himself stranded, driven by a noble purpose, battling with his demons. As the darkness gathers around him, he must fight to stay in the light. If he fails, he will fall...to the ruin of all.
At the heart of Vandar, Amron Daecar prepares to defend the southern coast against invasion, while his oldest and dearest friend, Lythian Lindar, returns at last to the lands of his birth. Meanwhile, in the south of Tukor, a once-mad king returns, his heart restored to a holy path. And further east, in the Highplains of Rasalan, his granddaughter strives to return to her homeland after the destruction of the city of Thalan.
Across the north, the dragons swarm, sent forth by the will of Agarath. In the days to come, their lord and master will show his face. A face of calamity and dread, to cover all the land in shadow. If the darkness is to be repelled, the forces of light must rise up to meet it. From the pits of the earth, ancient creatures are coming forth, as the world begins to return to one of gods...and monsters.
