Hailed as the new Suzerain Margrave of the Carminasse Erlvar now wears the golden medaillon of the Argent House that his brother, Ganivar, bestowed on him, but it is a ruling token heavy with many burdens. With nearly all of the Winged Hemisphere and even the starship Orion torn by strife, the objective is now to breach the walls of the Towered Hemisphere. For the omens that are spilling out of Gridah come like a summons and a prophecy that the fate of Sudarka will be decided in that part of the world. Grieved by the loss of many dear to his heart, especially his elder brother, Erlvar undertakes the journey to Gridah more out of a sense of duty than to challenge the unknown. The grief has numbed his Talent and especially his Touch. But the strange events that await him in Gridah, and the stranger mysteries hidden deeply in the dense forests of the Towered Hemisphere compel him to overcome his bitterness and pursue the truth, deeper and farther, right to the core of an ancient power.