Druss, Captain of the Axe: the stories of his life were told everywhere. Instead of the wealth and fame he could have claimed, he had chosen a mountain lair, high in the lonely country bordering on the clouds. There the grizzled old warrior kept company with snow leopards and awaited his old enemy, death.

The Knights of the Gabala were legendary protectors of the Nine Duchies - until they disappeared through a demon-haunted gateway between worlds. Manannan, the Coward Knight, held back. Now he lives in torment. Yet war is coming to the Duchies - and with it Manannan's chance for redemption. But to regain his honour and save his land, he will have to confront his deepest fear. He must ride through the gateway and seek out his lost companions in the unknown world beyond. And the secret he will learn there will tear his soul apart.

9000 unerfahrene Rekruten, ein paar Dutzend angeheuerte Wegelagerer und die sechs Wälle der Festung Dros Delnoch stehen zwischen einer halben Million blutdurstiger Nadir-Krieger und dem Herzen des Imperiums der Drenai. Als Verzweiflung die Herzen der Drenai zu erfassen droht, da erreicht ein alter Mann die Festung, dessen Ruf allein das Schlachtenglück wenden kann. Ein Krieger, dessen Körper übersät ist mit Narben, dessen Axt mehr Männer gefällt hat als ein Baum Blätter trägt, den selbst die Nadir ehrfürchtig -Todeswanderer- nennen.

Born in the storm that doomed his father, Connavar grows to manhood among the mist-covered mountains of Caer Druagh, where the Rigante tribe dwell in harmony with the land and its gods. But beyond the border, across the water, an evil force is gathering strength, an unstoppable force that will change the world beyond all recognition. Haunted by malevolent spirits and hunted by evil men, Connavar sets out on a spectacular mission to save his people.

Eight hundred years have passed since King Connavar of the Rigante and his bastard son, Bane, defeated the invading army of Stone. In that time, Connavar has become a legend, and the Rigante have lost the freedom so many gave their lives to preserve. A conquered people, they live and die under the iron rule of the Varlish, their culture all but destroyed.