Fighting ravages once exquisite Zamerkand, where betrayals from within are as inevitable as war from without. The royal succession, essential for unification of the troubled kingdom, has been entrusted to Soldier, once a nobody - now commander of a mighty army and husband to the spirited Layana. However, Layana has fallen victim to a malicious curse - possessed by a demon and all her memories destroyed. The stakes have also been raised on the battlefield. Shortly after dawn a message was thrown from the battlements of Zamerkand. It did not take the form of a written parchment or slate. It came down wrapped in bloody rags and when the rags were unwrapped they revealed a severed head inside. It bore the face of Queen Vanda.