They were told that a lie brings salvation. But no one was ready for what this lie concealed. Darkness enveloped Erelim and split the Alliance, driving its members to opposite sides of the continent. Estella, Astra, and Aaron escaped from the Nameless Kingdom to the Silent Citadel; Claire and Nash became hostages of King Liers; and Ilai lost his will and submitted to the Goddess of the Sun. Daphne begins her advance—but it turns out to have an altogether different purpose than the destruction of the peoples of Erelim. Why does she have two artifacts, and the weeping willow where the power of the Primordial Paths is hidden? What terrifying creatures are pushing through the veil into their world? And who is their true enemy? The Alliance can answer these questions only by going to Ashai—home of the fairy rulers who keep a thousand-year secret. The battle for the New World is coming. And only he who can sacrifice freedom will gain it.