The Emperor of Aria is dead, and three junior members of a street gang are unwittingly caught up in the ensuing struggle for the throne, in the first epic adventure in a new fantasy world from a master of the genre.

The vast Empire of Aria is in crisis. The Emperor is dead, murdered. The heir is a nine-year-old boy whose older sister, a potent sorceress, is manoeuvring to act as regent. Factions are forming within the Imperial family, the Southern lords are edging towards open rebellion, and on the far-flung borders an ancient darkness stirs.

Myla, Fingers and Seth couldn't care less. All members of Fat Al's Teahouse gang, they've found themselves in somewhat of a pickle, caught at the scene of a crime stealing to order, what they only just now realise might well be linked to the Emperor's untimely demise. Stuck in a city on lockdown they're forced to lay low, but the wolves are circling, and rival gangs are smelling blood...