Lady Aeliraneth Ulberath, the most infamous witch of her time, had many names. To Cyrus, she'd only had one: Mother. The fires that had taken her life had long since burned out. Now the only witch Cyrus wanted in his life was B'lantra, the physician's apprentice he'd grown to love. Cold memories were all that remained of Mother's legacy... or so he thought. After ten years, Aeliraneth's killers have tracked him down. Cyrus and B'lantra will find few allies in a land where witches and their kin are hated and feared. Who hold the answers they need to stay alive? Celaan, the dark empress who has commanded them to find the ancient artifact Aeliraneth sought before her death? Asa, the sadistic huntress determined to bring them before her unseen master? Or the technologically advanced insurgents who threaten to plunge the nation into chaos? To save their future, Cyrus and B'lantra must enter the long shadow Aeliraneth has cast- before it covers everything in darkness.