What was first thought to be a safe respite from both the winter elements and the stark brutality of man, has turned into more peril than Raymond and Hanshee could have imagined. Menace lurks in every shadowed corner and the pair find it almost impossible to tell friend from foe. Hanshee, the Maiyochi, has proven equal to every test thus far, but how much longer can even he hold out against dangers that can appear in any form, from any direction, and at any time?

The impenetrable walls of Stronghold have proven to be as much prison as refuge, and the pair soon realizes that their only hope lies in somehow escaping the impregnable fortress of the Pith. Failure means continued peril from the shadowy forces who seek no less than their deaths. But even success, as unlikely as it seems, only places them adrift between hostile nations, with no guarantee that death won't continue to stalk them, and no choice but to again take up a journey that becomes more difficult with every passing day.

With the destinies of empires riding upon their shoulders, and the tip of every weapon pointing in their direction, the stakes could not be higher for Raymond and the Maiyochi.