Hostility has formed over the centuries. It's grown with each hunt, each capture, and each death. It's been magnified at each effort to thwart global dominion over those unable to defend against the advance of a ruthless tyrant who won't rest until the entire world is full of those who exist solely to do his will. Circumstances have prevented outright warfare - until now.

He's provided for each of them the opportunity to lead a life of health, wealth, and power far beyond their imagination. By his own example, he's shown them that such gifts are meant to be shared, used to make the world a better place. And he's never asked them for anything in return, showing a willingness to risk even his own life to live to his own ideals. Now Will Stark needs their help. He's helpless, he's uneducated, and he's about to meet men who can utterly destroy him. And they'll need to make sure that's exactly what happens.

Freed from the constraints of the Aliomenti, Will Stark creates a new group, an alliance of men and women committed to using their energy skills and technological advances to improve the lives of all. It's an act of rebellion that won't go unnoticed - or unpunished - by the Aliomenti elites. Treachery, a desperate search for the resolution of his most vexing personal concern, and an incredible network of underground facilities drive Will to his own desperate decisions.

It's been a week since the dragon Morishtomaric fell, and Sardelle is not convinced that Ridge is truly gone. With a companion who thinks he's a god and a soldier who would happily kill her, she heads back to the mountains to look for signs that Ridge survived. What they uncover threatens to destroy their country and all they care about.

Responsible for her friend's death, Lieutenant Caslin Ahn wants nothing more than to be left alone. She no longer deserves the company of comrades or the fulfillment she felt as a Wolf Squadron fighter pilot. But a summons from the king leaves her with no choice but to rejoin her teammates. An ancient evil has been unleashed, bringing death and destruction to the nation, and they are the only ones with a chance of stopping it.