One question remains: Did it begin or end in theft? His mother, taken beforememory, his father, disappeared in the Manor where Asriael rules, home of theGreat Game, where lives are antes and countries divided by mere hands, where thedeed to the Slants was bet and lost so many years ago. The underground wizardsof the Slants had trained Renue in the high arts, as an expert in disguise, adeadly fighter, a daring card player. His mission was to infiltrate the Manorand win back the deed so that Asriael's dark magic could finally be unraveledand the people freed. But inside the Manor, Renue meets a mysterious young womancalled the Queen of Hearts who seems to hold the secrets to his parents' fate.When Asriael is murdered and the mission betrayed, Renue and the Queen must fleethe Manor, the Black Thing on their trail. As the other great lords vie forpower, amid chaos and war, Renue must protect the Queen while they search for anancient magic to end the nightmare of Asriael's black revenge.