For the past fifty years, the rulers of Zar'NaReek, Tur'Var, Da'Neer and De'Arias have remained united in their commitment to peace, and none of them more so than King Malagan. Having grown up in the shadow of his grandfather-King Rakhar Rahha of Zar'NaReek-Malagan bore witness to the Great War and saw firsthand the damage one bloodthirsty monarch could do to the citizenry. Malagan is determined it will never happen again; however, it soon becomes clear that not everyone in the realm feels the same way. A group of conspirators, bound only by their greed, are working to turn the empires on each other and profit from the resulting carnage. King Malagan summons a band of his most loyal men-General Aldaris Elzar; the barbarian barg Galyeth; and Arthon, a High Sentinel of Zar'NaReek's southern forces-to ferret out the plotters before they can start another Great War. But the members of this motley crew also have their own political and personal agendas and are at odds with each other as much as with the enemy. Faced with possible defeat and the destruction of the realm, they must forge unlikely alliances and place their lives in each other's hands. As the forces of evil continue to gain the upper hand, Malagan's men must also call upon the arch mages-sorcerers known for a volatile brand of magic that has been banned since the end of the Great War. Will these mages save the realm, or bring about its demise?