Elizabeth Vaughan staged a “superb, clever return to the desolate Warlands” (Midwest Book Review) in Dagger-Star. Now, she continues the epic story of Palins, a land in the throes of upheaval… There is no one more adored… Everyone knows that the Lady High Priestess Evelyn is virtuous and noble, one of the leaders of the rebellion against the unjust usurper, as well as a gentle healer who channels the powers of the gods to help the sick and injured. There is no one more despised… Orrin Blackhart, the Scourge of Palins, is renowned as an evil man. As the war leader of one of the usurper’s supporters, he has killed many and has stood by while the sorceress he served created an army of the undead. And there is nothing more unexpected than passion… When Orrin takes Evelyn prisoner during the war, each will uncover more to the other than they expected. And souls that should have clashed will be forged in desire, redemption, and glory…