Kour'el wakes up in a tower cell with no memory of who she is or where she came from. One painful shred at a time, she pieces together her memory with the help of her companion Api'Naga, an immortal dragon. They know they have come from very far away, and that they have a mission. But what is it? Who are they looking for? Not even Api'Naga knows for certain. Two in this land have the answers the strangers are seeking. One of them is a captive, secretly revered but more helpless than Kour'el herself. And the other, Petaurus, caring for his granddaughter in a tiny mountain village, is afraid. Queen Mariah's ruthless grasp extends to the very edges of the kingdom now.

To whom can he entrust his dangerous secret?.