High in the mountains, Pela and Ruebyn have finally escaped the deadly Knights of Alana. But the future remains uncertain, their only way forward the forbidden lands of Trola. Buoyed by their recent victory, Pela is confident they can overcome whatever lies ahead. When they find the Trolan countryside empty, its villages abandoned, they realise nothing is as it seems in the western nation. There is an evil on the air, an ancient darkness that neither sword nor magic can fight. Meanwhile, King Braidon has earned a victory against his treacherous wife and her zealous Knights. If only the war could be so easily won. Marianne still holds the capital, and has magic enough to conquer the Three Nations. Braidon must gather the forces of good beneath his banner, and fast, before the queen can march on his stronghold.