Of all of the horrors he could imagine… …he never imagined this. Ashamed and devastated by a pair of selfish acts that destroy the life he has built, believing himself condemned to worthlessness, Kavan flees the potential rejection of those who claim to love him in search of reconciliation and restoration where no one will know his face…or his name. In Rhidam, his friends and family are left to struggle with the loss of his cornerstone strength and the rise of an ancient, pervasive evil that will leave no life in Enesfel, or the Sovereignties, untouched if it cannot be quickly thwarted. Unlike in days past, the Lachlans must face this challenge alone, seeking allies and enemies wherever they can find them without Kavan's guiding wisdom. With the possibility of redemption dangling just beyond his reach, Kavan's flight takes him deep into the unfamiliar arid lands beyond Hatu's southern border. The need to escape rejection and find purpose, battling his personal demons with Wortham Delamo at his side, becomes intertwined with a quest for knowledge and cleansing that could set Enesfel back on its proper course, or could destroy Kavan and everything…everyone…he has ever loved. It might also open a window into knowledge that, once found, could forever alter the world as Kavan knows it.