Wynter Moorehawke has fled the dangers of court for bandit-infested forests, seeking exiled prince Alberon. But more than just thieves lurk in these shadows. Every tyrant and zealot who has ever threatened the kingdom is sending emissaries to meet Alberon, whose motivations seem unclear. Razi and Christopher had also set out to track Alberon, and find Wynter as enemies close in. With a savage wolf clan on their heels, they must seek sanctuary with the nomadic Merron. But this leaves them enmeshed in a net of sinister black magics and forbidden ritual. Their safety and the kingdom's future will depend on a web of alliances and hostilities. And Alberon and his war machine sit at its heart.