Exhausted after their successful defense of the Gurinda Mark, Hiro and Liz would like nothing better than a few weeks of respite. Thereâs no rest for the wicked, though, and Hiroâs claim to the War Godâs bloodline has echoed in high places. Soon, he finds himself summoned to the imperial capital for an audience with the emperor himself. Hiroâs first appearance at court will determine his future in Aletia, but he must tread carefullyâpowerful nobles are already plotting to use him, and the emperor has his own plans for his newest son. Meanwhile, Liz joins the Fourth Legionâs march into Lichtein, while a mysterious figureâs arrival in a southern port marks the first rumblings of a coming landslide. And as its enemies close in, an increasingly desperate Lichtein turns to its final hope... A storm is brewing in the south, and fate conspires to put Hiro and Liz right in the center of it!