Charles Warfield’s life is over. Once a trusted member of the Zanni nobility, he stood disgraced before the Anvil of Ages, betrayed by his beloved wife Nissa and falsely accused of crimes against the king. Convicted and awaiting his fate, Charles surrenders to the call of the darkening deep. But before despair can claim him, a voice in the gloom reaches out, calling him to a greater purpose beyond the borders of the only land he has ever known.

Driven by curiosity and desperation, Charles follows his protectors into the unknown. Among them is Veldic, a lethal warrior from a fallen dynasty and a powerful woodlock named Dara who wears the face of Charles’ former wife. But the path is not safe. An evil older than time seeks Charles for its own, corrupting all it touches. And as Charles moves into the truth of his eternal purpose, he must somehow find a way to fight the encroaching abyss and return hope to a dying world.