The Therrai healers are summoned to try to heal Captain Jisten, who was nearly killed in the battle with the chaos mage. But the Therrai aren't the only ones who come through the portal from Okyro, and S'Avetina, High Priest S'Rak's wife, is less than pleased by recent events. Will Rak's dignity, and the king's pride, survive the ire of the powerful mage? Or will the agreement to allow Rak's son to become Prince Jethain's heir be cast aside, renewing the political turmoil within the Koilathan palace? As Jisten slowly mends, S'Rak is also faced with a choice of either telling the captain the truth about the kironi magic or denying the baby and the captain what they need.