What should you do if, by the will of the Creator, you’re born in an empire where nobody knows the emperor’s face? Where the emperor could be anyone you meet on the road—a wandering potter, a scrap merchant from the shop on the corner, or even a tavernkeeper—your uncle Povyt, whom you know well. Where magic is familiar and commonplace. And what do you do if you’re young, with not a penny to your soul—only a title, two swords, combat skills, and a dream to do something important in life, something needed by people? Perhaps you simply follow your fate? After all, it may give you wings, help you find true friends and true love, help you learn what very, very few people know. And it can even make you the executor of an ancient prophecy…