Marked for death by a powerful demon mage, brother swordsman Kildare and Zedaine make their way toward the ancient city of Gallanse. When their journey takes a turn for the worst, they are left with no recourse but to trust in a wayward Triton of the Crystalline Sea in the hope he can lead them to their destination in time.

Locked in a cell atop the Gray Spire, Princess Lydia stands accused of murder. Abandoned by her lover, the princess rises to the challenge and embarks on a desperate plan to win back her freedom. Hiding in the shadows of the lower city, Macklore, ambassador of Brisbane, works frenetically to prove his innocence and that of the princess. Hounded on all sides, Macklore must choose between saving his love or fulfilling his duties as ambassador as ordered by his king.

Unknown to them all, a great evil stirs. Chameleon, a tribeswoman and descendent of the doomed people of the Alo-Shen, holds the key to halting the return of ancient enemy. Demons, banished some four millennia past, strive to make their way back to the only world ever known to thwart their power. Along with the mysterious psychic Ty, Chameleon must convince her Xenophobic leaders to unlock the secrets of their past in order to defeat the demons to come.

In a world of swords and sorcery, a city of blood and chaos, only one can rise and command the great city of Gallanse. Only one can claim the title of High Lord of Shaara. Only one can ascend and sit upon the ancient granite of the Gray Throne.

Winner of the 2023 Imadjinn Award for Best Fantasy novel