Young Kaltor Stratagar tries to see protecting the King's archeological excavation as a welcome escape from the constant Battleborn training, but finds only boredom. Still, mystery thrives in the buried city. A great Vault forged of a mysterious, unbreakable substance, defies every effort to open, until the simple touch of Kaltor's hand. Then, the demon within, awakes. Overnight, hundreds die. The creature leaves no time to mourn, turning its ravenous appetite towards the border city of Shaylis. Kaltor pursues the demon, leaping into a desperate struggle of magic, steel and intrigue. Kaltor must vanquish the creature here, now, before its reach grows too great for even the King's armies to quell. But an even greater threat awaits Kaltor in Shaylis, for even demons find friends in the most useful and unexpected places...