His enemies call Prince Richius "the Jackal," yet he is only a reluctant warrior for the Emperor in the fight for the land of Lucel-Lor.  The empire's deadly war machines are no match for the potent magic of Tharn, leader of a fanatical sect.  Richius's forces are routed and he returns home in defeat--but the Emperor will not accept the loss.  Soon Richius is given one last chance to pit the empire's science against the enemy's devastating magic.  But he has fallen in love with a woman of Lucel-Lor, his sworn enemy. Now Richius finds himself torn between his kingdom, his loyalty, and his heart.  No matter what he chooses, the result at best will be bloodshed and shame, at worst the deaths of everyone he holds dear.  Yet as the Emperor and Tharn are about to discover, there is nothing so dangerous as one desperate man....