Five Gates. Five Sisters. Five Very Different Men. Once there were two worlds connected by five gates. Then the Gate Keepers closed the gates and disappeared. The Gate Keepers have returned. Arriana Quinones failed to save her king from the poison that killed him. Now her nephew is suffering the same malady. When her search for a cure leads her through a gate into a world of magic, she discovers that the gods' plans for her stretch far beyond finding an antidote. Treves Tourbillon and his people gave up hope of ending their curse. Then Arriana saves his life. While those around him are convinced she is the prophesied key, Treves fears she'll be the curse's next victim. Can Arriana and Treves find the antidote, end the Manticore curse, and take their place as the Desert Gate's next Keepers, or will the forces working against them prevail in the end?