Darkness is closing in on Evial. The last barriers are about to fall. All the salladorean magic—steeped in elven blood—speaks of her true nature; speaking zombies in the underground caves; the monsters of the Serpent Forests—these are its manifestations. Fess, a warrior, mage, and necromancer, senses the true source of Evial’s troubles and knows how he can oppose Evil. But the Inquisitors, with fanatical persistence, blame the necromancer for everything and drive him from one trap to another. Paying a high price with his soul and blood, Fess manages to escape the pyre—replacing the flames of the auto-da-fé with the fire of battle. A battle begins that will change the fate of the world.