Tormented by nightmares of Magjipure, a city struck by storms and earthquakes, Lord Valetin believes they are omens of a war between his people and the metamorphs—shape-shifters who once ruled the planet. For centuries they have been weaving a conspiracy to reclaim their stolen planet. Since the moment Valetin came to power, a politics of consent and reconciliation has made many courtiers doubt his true motives and loyalty, and it has allowed them to remove him from leadership duties, electing him to a higher, more ceremonial position as pontiff. But if Valetin takes the mantle of pontiff and yields his office to his future successor, he will be remembered as a leader who shirked his responsibilities and destroyed the peace that had reigned for eight thousand years…