Once magically bound, only death can break the gilded chain of enchantment that binds a Blade to the man he is sworn to defend. And never in living memory has a candidate refused the honor of serving his king ... until now.Young Wasp never intended to be a rebel. Yet, at the sacred ceremony of binding, he follows the lead of his friend Raider, and together they spurn the wishes of King Ambrose himself. Now Raider and Wasp are outlaws on a desperate journey into the heart of the dreaded Fire Lands -- where the outcome of their terrifying confrontation with dark truth and darker magic will ultimately determine the fate of two kingdoms.