Twelve years ago, King Faldain and his beloved warrior-wife, the Queen Alexeika, rescued their two daughters, taken forcefully from the palace by the barbarian Grethori. Since then, Dain has waged brutal war against that tribe – seeking the Chieftain who killed their young son on that terrible day, and the evil sorceress behind him…

Now, as the circumstances bring the family back together, Alexeika clashes with her eldest daughter, Princess Tashalya, over her growing infatuation with the dark side of magic. And Dain – suffering from a powerful, life-threatening curse – struggles homeward to be saved by drinking from the Chalice of Life. But he is about to be betrayed by one closer than he could ever imagine…