General Wyl Thirsk of Morgravia has seen his best friend slain, his sister tortured, and his mentor consigned to a certain death -- all at the sadistic whim of his sovereign, King Celimus. Now Celimus hungrily eyes the neighboring realm, Briavel, and its inexperienced Queen Valentyna, pressuring her into a doomed political marriage -- and thereby forcing Wyl's hand toward confrontation and treason, for only he can save the woman he loves from her hideous fate.

But destiny will send Wyl far from the evil machinations of the despicable king. And as war threatens from the north, where the hated King of the Barbarians plots against the south, Wyl must find the mysterious bestower of Myrren's gift in a bid to control the curse that has thrown his life into chaos . . . and is intricately and terrifyingly woven into the future of three realms.

General Wyl Thirsk of Morgravia has died many times . . .

But thanks to the miraculous gift bestowed upon him by the slain witch Myrren, Wyl lives on—though greatly altered and unrecognizable. Only by assuming Morgravia's throne will he be freed from the dark spell that has both cursed and sustained him.

But Wyl's time is running out. His beloved Queen Valentyna will soon be wed to his most hated enemy, the savage despot King Celimus—and despite the impending nuptials, war between their nations looms ominously, while the dire threat from the Mountain Kingdom grows stronger by the day. Trapped in a body that is not his own, Wyl must walk his most dangerous path yet—straight into the brutal clutches of his sadistic foe‚ in a last, desperate attempt to save his land, his love, his life . . . and his soul.

Though barely a teenager, Wyl Thirsk must now assume the role he has been destined for since birth: commander of the Morgravian army -- an awesome responsibility that calls him to the royal palace of the crown prince Celimus. Already a cruel despot who delights in the suffering of others, Celimus enjoys forcing his new general to witness his depraved "entertainments." But a kindness to a condemned witch in her final, agonizing hours earns young Thirsk a miraculous bequest, while inflaming the wrath of his liege lord.

With war looming in the north, Wyl must obey Celimus's treacherous dictates and undertake a suicidal journey to an enemy court -- armed with a mysterious power that could prove both boon and curse. For unless he accepts Myrren's gift, it will surely destroy him . . . and the land he must defend.

While enemy ships threaten Percheron's harbor, heroic Lazar lies afflicted with the drezden illness and cannot rise. And Zaradine Ana has been taken prisoner by the mysterious Arafanz and his warriors, and is believed to be with child—carrying the heir to the throne, the unborn son of Zar Boaz.

Torn by an inner conflict raging between heart and head, Zar Boaz can think only of Ana, even as his land sits poised on the brink of devastating war. Launching a daring, desperate plan, he calls for his country's strongest to make one more foray into the desert . . . even as the Goddess reaches the crest of her ascent, throwing mortal and divine alike into chaotic battle for the soul of Percheron.

The second book in the breathtaking epic fantasy of heritage, vengeance, and destiny

A decade has passed since the barbarian Loethar brutally conquered the last remaining, most powerful realm in the Denova Set—though the coveted Valisar Enchantment, the irresistible ability to coerce and control, eludes him still. Ten years since the warlord butchered the Set's royals and feasted on their blood.

But he did not kill them all.

Having secretly escaped Loethar's wrath, the young Valisar prince Leonel has grown to manhood under the protection of the notorious highwayman Kilt Faris. Now the boy king wants more than his rightful throne of Penraven—he wants revenge. But not all of enslaved Penraven wishes for Leonel's rule; indeed, Loethar has spent the past ten years uniting the Set's realms into a peaceful, prosperous empire. And unbeknownst to all, the true inheritor of the Valisar Enchantment is awakening—and a dark threat, far more sinister than even the invasion of the barbarian horde a decade earlier, is poised to threaten the Crown and reveal the most shocking Valisar secret of all.

A prisoner in the forbidden harem of the great Stone Palace of Percheron, Ana inflames the desires of every man who sees her, even as she fears for her future. The city's beloved protector, Spur Lazar, offered up his life for her, accepting punishment intended for the bewitching odalisque. Now, without Lazar's guiding hand, Percheron has become a darker, more treacherous place.

Mistrusting the machinations of Herezah, his mother—who plots to destroy the odalisque Ana—the young Zar Boaz seeks counsel from the suddenly changed and dangerously secretive "Grand Vizier," counsel he desperately needs. War threatens from a distant realm; the cyclical battle of the gods intensifies; and the first of the Goddess's disciples is claimed by the demon Maliz. But all schemes must ultimately rise and fall on one unknown truth: Spur Lazar lives still, recovering in secret from the illness that has left him the gift of a curse.