Within the Eastern Empire, Duke Kordas Valdemar rules a tiny, bucolic Duchy that focuses mostly on horse breeding. Anticipating the day when the Empire’s exploitative and militant leaders would not be content to leave them alone, Korda’s father set out to gather magicians in the hopes of one day finding a way to escape and protect the people of the Duchy from tyranny. Kordas has lived his life looking over his shoulder. The signs in the Empire are increasingly dire. Under the direction of the Emperor, mages have begun to harness the power of dark magics, including blood magic, the powers of the Abyssal Planes, and the binding and "milking" of Elemental creatures. But then one of the Duchy’s mages has a breakthrough. There is a way to place a Gate at a distance so far from the Empire that it is unlikely the Emperor can find or follow them as they evacuate everyone that is willing to leave. But time is running out, and Kordas has been summoned to the Emperor's Court. Can his reputation as a country bumpkin and his acting skills buy him and his people the time they need to flee? Or will the Emperor lose patience, invade to strip Valdemar of everything of worth, and send its conscripted people into the front lines of the Imperial wars?

Udgivet af Titan 

Mercedes Lackey
Amerikansk forfatterinde, gift med Larry Dixon, som hun har skrevet nogle bøger sammen med. Lackey fik udgivet sin første roman I 1987 og har siden produceret et sandt væld af bøger, enten alene eller sammen med en medforfatter. Mange af hendes bøger (inklusive hendes første; "Arrows of the Queen") foregår I hendes "Valdemar" verden, hvor der er flere trilogier og nogle enkeltbind som foregår. Lackey har også skrevet flere bøger om Diana Tregarde, som er okkult detektiv. Desuden har hun skrevet bøger I andres verdener; bl.a. I computerspillet "Bard's Tale", og en "Darkover" bog sammen med Marion Bradley.