Prisoner. Prince. Sacrifice. As the captive of the People of the New Hum, Granite is all of these things. Bartered away by his half sister in order to rescue the rest of their friends, the journeyman half orc ranger starts to lose himself. Anger and hopelessness threaten to overwhelm him.
But a dying falconer sends his most beloved companion, Belinda the gyrfalcon, to bond with the captive prince. She introduces him to a world inside of his own mind, and helps to prepare him for the trials to come. Can the abandoned young man and his new winged ally survive the trials of the Igneous Citadel?
Half a world away, Sarah and her companions search for answers about the invasion of the northern elflands. Their quest leads them to the doorstep of an ancient evil so dire, it was locked away by the gods themselves. All the while, Sarah must endure the pain of sacrificing her brother, and weather the resentment of her companions.
Can the Blackstaff siblings survive, when Panos itself seems hellbent on their destruction? Or will the wedge driven between them prove to be the source of their downfall?
