Having finally found the first of her father’s people, Faerowyn finds the dark elves trapped in the city of Selbis, unable to show themselves for fear of revealing the House of Owyn to their enemies. Faer soon realises that the ruling elite of Selbis is corrupt, sterile and oppressive, and decides to turn the simmering unrest amongst the populace in the isolated city-kingdom to her advantage.

She sees Selbis as the beginning of her campaign to return her House to the kingdom of Keria, but she only has six followers in a city of thousands. She knows she will have to divide and then set the competing factions in the city on one another in order to get the chance to take the throne herself.

And that means plunging the city into war.