As Anumith the Destroyer's army draws nearer to the western realms, an alliance is forming to stand against him. The heir to the throne of Krimathe embarks upon a quest for the goddess Vela--a quest that the goddess has promised will give her strength enough to defeat the Destroyer. All that Laina must do is to stay silent...and serve a man she has sworn to kill. A man who helped destroy her family.The son of a demon warlord and only recently freed from years of torture, Saxen seeks to make amends to his people before facing the justice of the Krimathean queen's blade. When a mysterious, silent woman who wears a questing cloak joins his small band of warriors, he only wishes to rid himself of her. But she isn't so easy to get rid of--and fulfilling her quest might come at a far higher cost than Laina could imagine. For she might gain the strength to defeat the Destroyer...but what she needs from Saxen will destroy him first.