The Age of Heroes is long past. For five generations, the people of Laendor have enjoyed a tranquil existence: land to farm, kings they love, even a slightly-uneasy truce with their neighboring kingdom, Southdale. But peace is short-lived for those who would not keep it. Slowly the elegant but deadly Val'gren have become more active in the north, enslaving minor races and hunting in the Dark for innocents to steal away. The roads have become treacherous. So knows Ryn, a wanderer of no connection and questionable birth who has patrolled the travel routes for ten years with her companion, the wild lynx Kota. Known only as Leyna, the Guardian, by the would-be victims she rescues from bandits and other sundry dangers, Ryn keeps to herself and to the roads, content in her work and her friendship with Kota. Still the Dark spreads. Brandt Signyson feels it too, in the weight of responsibility he inherits after tragedy strikes his family. He and his younger brother Evin, a talented archer and Brandt's whole world, strike out on a quest to recover a priceless family heirloom. A chance encounter leads the brothers to Ryn and Kota, who agree to be their guides across the wilderness. Now the four must brave punishing terrain, dangerous enemies, and secrets that refuse to remain hidden as they work their way across northern Laendor. But the Dark is spreading, and the Age of Heroes is long past.