Illyria Exiprion is not an elf. She can't be, because elves don't exist. No matter how many times she has tried to explain that, no one listens. Yes, she does hail from a city that has been hidden for more than six centuries and yes, she is a skilled forester. The people of Ilthanara, her kin, have not forgotten the ways of the lost High Kingdom of Anduilon, but they are not magic. Illyria, and her half-brother Balien, are just as human as everyone else. Maybe not everyone else. One of her companions, Theramus, is a Noss-giantkind-while another, Sephana, is one of the mysterious Reshai. Together, they have travelled to the land of Karalon as escorts to a trade caravan, only to find the place plagued with troubles. What are the Grey Men that mass on its borders, and who is the red cloaked wizard hiding in the fortress of Durnshold? The only man who might know is the lord of the northern marches, but he is nowhere to be found. Perhaps an elf could solve this mystery, if any existed, but they don't. There is just Illyria.